dinner
noun /ˈdɪnə(r)/
/ˈdɪnər/
Idioms - [uncountable, countable] the main meal of the day, eaten either in the middle of the day or in the evening
- It's time for dinner.
- When do you have dinner?
- for dinner What shall we have for dinner tonight?
- to dinner As I'm single, I tend to go out to dinner (= eat in a restaurant) a lot.
- (North American English also) to go to dinner
- I'd like to take you out to dinner tonight.
- Let's invite them to dinner tomorrow.
- What time do you serve dinner?
- It's your turn to cook dinner.
- She didn't eat much dinner.
- I never eat a big dinner.
- Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner
- a three-course dinner
- a roast/steak/turkey dinner
- a family sitting around the dinner table
- a dinner plate
- He was trying hard to impress his dinner guests.
- (British English) school dinners (= meals provided at school in the middle of the day)
Collocations RestaurantsRestaurantsEating out- eat (lunch/dinner)/dine/meet at/in a restaurant
- go (out)/take somebody (out) for lunch/dinner/a meal
- have a meal with somebody
- make/have a reservation (in/under the name of Yamada)
- reserve/ (especially British English) book a table for six
- ask for/request a table for two/a table by the window
- wait to be seated
- show somebody to their table
- sit in the corner/by the window/at the bar/at the counter
- hand somebody/give somebody the menu/wine list
- open/read/study/peruse the menu
- the restaurant has a three-course set menu/a children’s menu/an extensive wine list
- taste/sample/try the wine
- the waiter takes your order
- order/choose/have the soup of the day/one of the specials/the house (British English) speciality/(especially North American English) specialty
- serve/finish the first course/the starter/the main course/dessert/coffee
- complain about the food/the service/your meal
- enjoy your meal
- pay/ask for (especially British English) the bill/(North American English) the check
- pay for/treat somebody to dinner/lunch/the meal
- service is (not) included
- give somebody/leave (somebody) a tip
More About mealsmeals- People use the words dinner, lunch, supper and tea in different ways depending on which English-speaking country they come from. In Britain it may also depend on which part of the country or which social class a person comes from.
- A meal eaten in the middle of the day is usually called lunch. If it is the main meal of the day it may also be called dinner in British English, especially in the north of the country and in schools:
- I make sure my kids have a hot school dinner, not just a packed lunch.
- A main meal eaten in the evening is usually called dinner, especially if it is a formal meal. Supper is also an evening meal, but more informal than dinner and usually eaten at home. It can also be a late meal or something to eat and drink before going to bed.
- In British English, tea is a light meal in the afternoon with sandwiches, cakes, etc. and a cup of tea:
- a cream tea.
- What time do the kids have their tea?
- As a general rule, if dinner is the word someone uses for the meal in the middle of the day, they probably call the meal in the evening tea or supper. If they call the meal in the middle of the day lunch, they probably call the meal in the evening dinner.
- Brunch, a combination of breakfast and lunch, is becoming more common, especially as a meal where your guests serve themselves.
Culture mealsmealsAmericans and British people generally eat three meals a day though the names vary according to people's lifestyles and where they live.The first meal of the day is breakfast. The traditional full English breakfast served in many British hotels may include fruit juice, cereal (= a food made from processed grains and eaten with milk), bacon and eggs, often with sausages and tomatoes, toast (= slices of bread cooked until they turn brown) and marmalade (= jam made with oranges and similar fruit), and tea or coffee. Few people have time to prepare a cooked breakfast at home and most have only cereal and/or toast with tea or coffee. Others buy coffee and a pastry on their way to work.The traditional American breakfast includes eggs, some kind of meat and toast. Eggs may be fried, ‘over easy’, ‘over hard’ or ‘sunny side up’, or boiled, poached, scrambled or in an omelette (= beaten together and fried). The meat may be bacon or sausage. People who do not have time for a large meal have toast or cereal and coffee. It is common for Americans to eat breakfast in a restaurant. On Saturday and Sunday many people eat brunch late in the morning. This consists of both breakfast and lunch dishes, including pancakes and waffles (= types of cooked batter) that are eaten with butter and maple syrup (= a sweet, sticky sauce produced from a type of maple tree).Lunch, which is eaten any time after midday, is the main meal of the day for some British people, though people out at work may have only sandwiches. Some people also refer to the midday meal as dinner. Most workers are allowed about an hour off work for it, called the lunch hour. Many schools offer a cooked lunch (school lunch or school dinner), though some students take a packed lunch of sandwiches, fruit, etc. Sunday lunch is special and is, for many families, the biggest meal of the week, consisting traditionally of roast meat and vegetables and a sweet course. In the US lunch is usually a quick meal, eaten around midday. Many workers have a half-hour break for lunch, and buy a sandwich from near their place of work. Business people may sometimes eat a larger lunch and use the time to discuss business.The main meal of the day for most people is the evening meal, called supper, tea or dinner. It is usually a cooked meal with meat or fish or a salad, followed by a sweet course. In Britain younger children may have tea when they get home from school. Tea, meaning a main meal for adults, is the word used in some parts of Britain, especially when the evening meal is eaten early. Dinner sounds more formal than supper, and guests generally receive invitations to ‘dinner’ rather than to ‘supper’. In the US the evening meal is called dinner and is usually eaten around 6 or 6.30 p.m. In many families, both in Britain and in the US, family members eat at different times and rarely sit down at the table together.Many people also eat snacks between meals. Most have tea or coffee in the middle of the morning, often called a coffee break. In Britain in the past this was sometimes also called elevenses. In the afternoon many British people have a tea break. Some hotels and cafes serve afternoon tea which consists of tea or coffee and a choice of sandwiches and cakes. When on holiday people sometimes have a cream tea of scones, jam and cream. In addition many people eat chocolate bars, biscuits (NAmE cookies) or crisps (NAmE chips). Some British people have a snack, sometimes called supper, consisting of a milk drink and a biscuit before they go to bed. In the US children often have milk and cookies after school.Extra ExamplesTopics Cooking and eatinga1- Are we expected to dress for dinner?
- I always forgot to take my dinner money to school.
- The extensive dinner menu includes Russian delicacies.
- The school dinner menu always includes a balance of food types.
- We didn't wash up the dinner things until the morning after.
- Have you had dinner yet?
- I used to hate school dinners.
- It's your turn to get dinner.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- delicious
- excellent
- good
- …
- table
- things
- plates
- …
- [countable] a large formal social gathering at which dinner is eaten
- The club's annual dinner will be held on 3 June.
- The winner will be announced at a gala dinner.
- a fund-raising/charity dinner
Extra Examples- A gala dinner was held to celebrate the world premiere of the movie.
- A state dinner was held in honour of the visiting Japanese premier.
- My old school is giving a fund-raising dinner
- The former Olympic champion was invited to speak at a charity dinner.
- We attended the formal reunion dinner.
- We're going to attend a formal dinner in aid of cancer research.
- the society's annual dinner dance
- The evening includes a three-course dinner with wine.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- elegant
- fancy
- lavish
- …
- give
- hold
- host
- …
- party
- engagement
- dance
- …
see also dinner party
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French disner (infinitive used as a noun), probably from desjëuner ‘to break fast’, from des- (expressing reversal) + jëun ‘fasting’.
Idioms
a dog’s breakfast/dinner
- (British English, informal) a thing that has been done badly synonym mess
- He's made a real dog's breakfast of these accounts.
done like a dinner
- (Australian English, New Zealand English, informal) completely defeated