picnic
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.
to go on or take part in a picnic.
Origin of picnic
1Other words from picnic
- pic·nick·er, noun
Words Nearby picnic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use picnic in a sentence
Nearby Israeli women sunned themselves in bikinis, smoking weed with their boyfriends, beers on their picnic mats.
I was 10 or 11, rushing to the car after an interfamily camping trip in central Pennsylvania, when I found a bag of them abandoned on a picnic table.
Some dispersed sites will have designated tent pads, fire rings, and picnic tables, but many will just be open spots between the trees.
Three Family-Friendly Adventures to Try This Fall | Outside Editors | September 17, 2020 | Outside OnlineThe steels used in picnic knives, like those made by Opinel or Victorinox, are good examples.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife | Wes Siler | September 3, 2020 | Outside OnlineMeanwhile, two foldout side tables were convenient for accommodating condiments and plates, since we didn’t have a picnic table or other surface available.
5 Portable Grills for All Your Outdoor Cooking Needs | Amy Marturana Winderl | September 2, 2020 | Outside Online
Office workers have pleasant picnic lunches on the empty roads.
Chinese Tourists Are Taking Hong Kong Protest Selfies | Brendon Hong | October 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAn 1882 travel guide calls it “a good place for oarsmen and campers to picnic,” with a hotel called the White Cross.
The team behind Indochine and Acme is also opening Tijuana picnic in the LES sometime this month.
Who to See and Where to be Seen: The Hot Tips for New York Fashion Week | Barbara Ragghianti | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven though there is a threadbare concession stand, overflowing picnic baskets abound.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own | Robert Silverman | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTFamilies were sitting picnic-style, meals of lamb and rice on large plates, scooped up with the flat bread nan.
Fighting Back With Faith: Inside the Yezidis’ Iraqi Temple | Michael Luongo | August 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd every time anybody came here to picnic and built a fire, they got warmed up and started moving about.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret PenroseA picnic, or anything nice, wouldn't seem perfect without you two.
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn RaymondAs a proof of friendship, when we went to the jungle on a picnic, Kari carried Sudu on his back.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal MukerjiThis being done, they entered a big picnic wagon with parallel seats and set out for the scene of the crime.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kellandpicnic baskets from which the salt has been omitted may be shredded over the surface instead of parsley.
British Dictionary definitions for picnic
/ (ˈpɪknɪk) /
a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air
any informal meal eaten outside
(as modifier): a picnic lunch
informal, mainly Australian a troublesome situation or experience
no picnic informal a hard or disagreeable task
(intr) to eat a picnic
Origin of picnic
1Derived forms of picnic
- picnicker, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with 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.
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