supper
Americannoun
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suppers
plural
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the evening meal, often the principal meal of the day.
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any light evening meal, especially one taken late in the evening.
an after-the-theater supper.
adjective
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of or relating to supper.
the supper dishes.
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for, during, or including supper.
a supper party.
noun
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an evening meal, esp a light one
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an evening social event featuring a supper
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to obtain something by performing a service
verb
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rare (tr) to give supper to
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rare (intr) to eat supper
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of supper
1225–75; Middle English sup ( p ) er < Old French souper, noun use of souper to sup 2
Explanation
Supper, which is also known as dinner, is usually the third daily meal you eat. Many families try to sit down and eat supper together at the end of the day. First comes breakfast, then lunch, and then finally, in the evening, it's time for supper. The word supper is less common today than dinner, although North Americans generally consider the words to be synonyms. Until the early 20th century, the meal we now generally refer to as lunch was called dinner, while the evening meal was supper. It comes from the Old French soper, "to eat the evening meal."
Vocabulary lists containing supper
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:
It would be a stunning backdrop for a supper club or for weddings, anniversaries and other intimate events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
In praise of the secret supper club: By design, hidden restaurants tend to fly under the radar.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
On Wednesday, she watched Sotheby’s sale over livestream from a supper club event at the art space Hastings Contemporary, where she’d been invited to speak about Freud.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
"I was sitting watching on television with my supper on a tray thinking: 'I'm going to be able to retire with the proceeds of this song'," he told the newspaper.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
I fed the dogs and cooked supper, which we ate in our igloo.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
The heart of the space is an airy, sophisticated sitting room that connects on the south side to a dining room suggestive of decadent late night suppers in postwar Paris, and an industrial-inflected kitchen.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
Meanwhile Kerry Burley, who has been a regular at Burns suppers for more than a decade, is about to become president of Sandyford Burns Club in Glasgow.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2024
Sunday suppers are also when they divvy up things that need to get done around the house.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2023
She said food-service workers at her school prepare about 700 breakfasts — which are placed in bags that students take to class — about 800 lunches and more than 100 suppers each day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
Mrs. Brill and Ellen were glad because they could drink strong cups of tea all day in the kitchen and no longer needed to preside at nursery suppers.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
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