definitions

picnic

[ pik-nik ]
/ ˈpɪk nɪk /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR picnic ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.
the food eaten on such an excursion.
Also called picnic ham, picnic shoulder. a section of pork shoulder, usually boned, smoked, and weighing 4–6 pounds.Compare daisy(def 2).
Informal. an enjoyable experience or time, easy task, etc.: Being laid up in a hospital is no picnic.

verb (used without object), pic·nicked, pic·nick·ing.

to go on or take part in a picnic.

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RELATED WORDS

barbecue, outing, excursion, cookout, clambake, walkover, pushover, lark, breeze, cinch, snap, setup

Nearby words

pickwickian, pickwickian syndrome, pickwickianism, picky, picloram, picnic, picnic races, pico, pico de aneto, pico de são tomé, pico de teide

Origin of picnic

1740–50; < German Pic-nic (now Picknick) < French pique-nique, rhyming compound < ?
Related formspic·nick·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for picnic

British Dictionary definitions for picnic

picnic

/ (ˈpɪknɪk) /

noun

a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air
  1. any informal meal eaten outside
  2. (as modifier)a picnic lunch
informal, mainly Australian a troublesome situation or experience
no picnic informal a hard or disagreeable task

verb -nics, -nicking or -nicked

(intr) to eat a picnic
Derived Formspicnicker, noun

Word Origin for picnic

C18: from French piquenique, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with picnic

picnic

see no picnic.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.