dinner
//ˈdɪnə//
Forms
- Plural
- dinners
- present (v1)
- dinner
- past (v2)
- dinnered
- past participle (v3)
- dinnered
- present participle
- dinnering
- 3rd person singular
- dinners
Definitions
1.The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.
- I had an early dinner because the breakfast in this hostel is superb.
- I want to cook dinner.
2.An evening meal.
- Do I have to change for dinner?
- I had some friends to dinner two nights ago.
- We're about to start dinner. Phone again later.
3.A midday meal (in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea).
- My friends invited me to dinner.
- Tom has just finished eating dinner.
- My wife is preparing dinner right now.
4.A meal given to an animal.
- Give the dog its dinner.
1.To eat a dinner; to dine.
- Once I was geared up, I joined him on the wide, flat seat of the sled which was loaded up with hot food for the jacks who were dinnering out since they worked a forty far from the camp.
2.To provide (someone) with a dinner; to dine.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1079
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Etymology
From Middle English dyner
From Old French disner (“lunch”, but originally “breakfast”), (modern French dîner)
From Vulgar Latin *disiūnō, *disiūnāre from Latin dis- + iēiūnō (“to break the fast”).