din ‧ ner S1 W2 /ˈdɪnə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: diner , from diner 'to eat' ; ⇨ ↑ dine ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] the main meal of the day, eaten in the middle of the day or the evening:
What time do you usually have dinner?
We’re having fish for dinner tonight.
What's for dinner?
2 . [countable] a formal occasion when an evening meal is eaten, often to celebrate something:
the Club’s annual dinner
⇨ dog’s dinner at ↑ dog 1 (9), ⇨ more something than you’ve had hot dinners at ↑ hot 1 (30)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have/eat dinner
Why don't you come and have dinner with us?
▪ make/cook dinner
I offered to cook dinner.
▪ have something for dinner
I thought we might have pasta for dinner tonight.
▪ have somebody for/to dinner
We're having a few friends round to dinner.
▪ ask/invite somebody to dinner
Let's ask Kate and Mike to dinner.
▪ come for/to dinner
Mark is coming over for dinner.
▪ go out for/to dinner (=go and eat in a restaurant)
Would you like to go out for dinner on Saturday?
▪ serve dinner (=start giving people food)
Dinner is served between 7 and 11 pm in the hotel restaurant.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + dinner
▪ a three-course/four-course etc dinner
The cost of the hotel includes a three-course dinner.
▪ Sunday/Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner (=a special meal eaten on Sunday etc)
We usually have a walk after Christmas dinner.
▪ a romantic dinner (=for two people in a romantic relationship)
Clive and Denise were enjoying a romantic dinner for two in a quiet French restaurant.
▪ a candle-lit dinner (=with only candles for lighting)
Chris treated his girlfriend to a candle-lit dinner.
▪ a leisurely dinner (=not hurried)
I enjoy having a leisurely dinner with some friends at the weekend.
▪ a black-tie dinner (=where people wear special formal clothes)
He was invited to a black-tie dinner at one of the Oxford colleges.
▪ a slap-up dinner British English informal (=with a lot of good food)
Mum always makes a slap-up dinner for me when I go home.
▪ school dinners British English (=meals provided at school in the middle of the day)
School dinners are served in the canteen.
▪ TV dinners (=meals that you eat while watching TV)
TV dinners in aluminium containers can be found in the freezer departments of many supermarkets.
■ dinner + NOUN
▪ a dinner party (=when someone's friends are invited for a special evening meal)
We are having a dinner party on Saturday.
▪ a dinner guest
The dinner guests began arriving at about seven o'clock.
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THESAURUS
■ types of meal
▪ breakfast a meal that you eat in the morning
▪ brunch a meal that you eat in the late morning, instead of breakfast or lunch
▪ lunch a meal that you eat in the middle of the day
▪ tea British English a meal that you eat in the afternoon or evening
▪ dinner the main meal of the day, which most people eat in the evening
▪ supper a small meal that you eat in the evening, in British English; the main meal that you eat in the evening, in American English
▪ picnic a meal that you eat outdoors, consisting of food that you cooked or prepared earlier
▪ barbecue a meal that you cook outdoors over hot coals or wood and eat outdoors
▪ snack a small amount of food that is eaten between main meals or instead of a meal
▪ side dish food eaten with the main course, such as vegetables:
I’ll have the salad as a side dish.
▪ course one of the separate parts of a meal, such as the starter or the dessert:
a three-course meal