picnic

American  

[pik-nik] / ˈpɪk nɪk /

noun

• picnics
  plural

1. an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.

2. the food eaten on such an excursion.

3. Also called picnic ham,.  Also called picnic shoulder.  a section of pork shoulder, usually boned, smoked, and weighing 4–6 pounds.

4. Informal. an enjoyable experience or time, easy task, etc..

   Being laid up in a hospital is no picnic.

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verb (used without object)

• picnics,
  present (3rd person singular)
• picnicked,
  past participle,  past
• picnicking
  present participle

1. to go on or take part in a picnic.

picnic British  

/ ˈpɪknɪk /

noun

1. a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air

2. 1. any informal meal eaten outside

   2. ( as modifier )

      a picnic lunch

3. informal a troublesome situation or experience

4. informal a hard or disagreeable task

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verb

1. (intr) to eat a picnic

picnic Idioms  

1. see no picnic.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• picnicker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• picnics
  plural

Participles

• picnicking
  present
• picnicked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• picnic
  simple
• picnics
  simple
• have picnicked
  perfect
• has picnicked
  perfect
• am picnicking
  progressive
• are picnicking
  progressive
• is picnicking
  progressive
• have been picnicking
  perfect progressive
• has been picnicking
  perfect progressive

Past

• picnicked
  simple
• had picnicked
  perfect
• was picnicking
  progressive
• were picnicking
  progressive
• had been picnicking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will picnic
  simple
• will have picnicked
  perfect
• will be picnicking
  progressive
• will have been picnicking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of picnic

1740–50; < German Pic-nic (now Picknick ) < French pique-nique, rhyming compound < ?

Explanation

A picnic is a meal that you eat outside. For your birthday, you might take a picnic lunch (including celebratory cupcakes) to a nearby beach with some friends. You can use the word picnic for both the occasion — "Let's go on a picnic!" — and for the meal itself: "I am packing the best picnic to take on our hike." It's also a verb, meaning "to eat outside." And when a friend describes a difficult task and adds, "It was no picnic," they mean to emphasize how hard it was — the opposite of an easy, breezy picnic.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

picnic picnics picnicked picnicking

Before she gave a small speech at the picnic, Stevens took a few questions from reporters.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

Last Saturday morning, dozens of families set up their canopies for the annual Chavez Ravine community picnic, bringing photo albums and other cherished keepsakes to display table side.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

In the foreground is the inviting backyard of a middle-class home: sunlit green grass, a tool shed, a picnic table, but no people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

A clown paints children's faces, music fills the air, as families spread picnic carpets across the grass.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

Dad heads over to chat with some other parents in the far corner where the picnic tables are.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

“This used to be a park where my dad and I used to come and have picnics and he would play ballgaming here with a lot of families,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Emma adds to the fun by taking her kids fruit picking and also by letting them choose at the supermarket, then having tasty picnics in the garden.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

And while we tend to think of picnics as outdoor lunches — which means sandwiches, grain salads and the occasional tub of pasta salad — biscuits suggest a different possibility.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

In December, a stone highway marker honoring Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, suddenly appeared in Marion Square, planted alongside a major thoroughfare in a hub of picnics, farmers markets and celebrations in Charleston, S.C.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

In vain Mrs. Chester alluded to her ‘charming novel’, and the Misses Chester introduced parties, picnics, the opera, and the fashions.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Olivia Rodrigo picnicked in the park with one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

I’d seen the Joey P. my entire life; I had visited it on field trips and picnicked in a park that stands in the shadow of its gun mounts.

From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025

Young women and men picnicked side by side on the pavement, chanting: “Woman! Life! Freedom!”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

Streets of identical high-rise apartments were interspersed with parks and wide, tree-lined streets, while residents picnicked beside the Siverskyi Donets river and in forests nearby.

From Reuters ● May 30, 2022

They picnicked in tired solitude, eating as much as they wanted.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

A fisherman packed up his rods next to a family picnicking on the waterfront.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

When we arrive, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple are picnicking under the trees outside.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

At first, these trolley parks were simply gardens and picnicking grounds, but in time other attractions and rides like roller coasters and Ferris wheels were added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

His summer concerts became civic rituals: families picnicking, fans waving lightsabers in time to “The Imperial March” and Williams emerging each night to ovations more often reserved for rock stars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2025

Sometimes they would group up and play a team of Hispanic men who were also picnicking with their families.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• barbecue
• cookout
• excursion
• outing