potluck
Americannoun
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potlucks
plural
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food or a meal that happens to be available without special preparation or purchase.
to take potluck with a friend.
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Also called potluck dinner,. Also called potluck lunch. Also called potluck supper,. a meal, especially for a large group, to which participants bring various foods to be shared.
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whatever is available or comes one's way.
With fluctuating interest rates, homebuyers are learning to take potluck with the banks.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of potluck
Explanation
When each of the guests at a party brings a dish for everyone to share, that's a potluck. If you're invited to a potluck, you might want to bring your famous macaroni and cheese. This North American noun describes a particular type of meal, sometimes called a "covered-dish-supper" or a "dish-to-pass." If someone asks you to come to a potluck or a potluck supper, you'll want to be sure you don't arrive empty-handed. The potluck's origin dates to the Great Depression of the 1930s — earlier, the word meant "the luck of the pot, or food for an unexpected or uninvited guest."
Vocabulary lists containing potluck
Picture Us in the Light
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Roll with It
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Lasagna Means I Love You
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Not that the movie’s potluck assortment of styles and stories ever seems like a unified design for a meal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The whole block was devastated, and we all held a potluck in his honor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“It’s like they’re all at a potluck, but no one is coordinating on what to bring or who to invite,” El Chavo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The freedom to assemble peaceably, as we do in neighborhood potluck meals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Medical care was at best a kind of potluck affair.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
The holidays represent an especially anxiety-ridden time for introverted employees—what with office parties, potlucks and other gatherings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
On the surface, the organization offers potlucks, movie nights and holiday gatherings open to all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
Said to have originated at Madame Wu’s in mid-century California, it’s since shapeshifted into mall cafés, suburban potlucks and prepackaged grab-and-go containers.
From Salon ● May 19, 2025
The centers often hosted political rallies, dances and potlucks, and some even helped community members prepare for the U.S. citizenship test.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
At the potlucks of poor people churches in Oklahoma, the BBQ is always good.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
