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| Date: | 1200-1300 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | diner, from diner 'to eat'; DINE |
Related topics:1 [uncountable and countable]DF the main meal of the day, eaten in the middle of the day or the evening 
a three course dinnerdinner guests
a three course dinner Sunday/Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner (=a special meal eaten on Sunday, at Christmas, at Thanksgiving etc)
dinner guests2 [countable]DF a formal occasion when an evening meal is eaten, often to celebrate something : the Club's annual dinner
the Club's annual dinner➔ dog's dinner
at dog1 (9); ➔ more something than you've had hot dinners
at hot1 (30), TV dinnerWORD CHOICE:WORD CHOICE: 
dinner, supper, tea, lunch In Britain, the main meal of the day is dinner and it is usually eaten in the evening. Some people call this meal supper, but to others supper is a very small meal that is eaten just before they go to bed. Some people call this main evening meal tea, but to others tea is a small meal that is eaten in the afternoon. Some people use dinner to refer to the meal they eat in the middle of the day, but if you want to be clear that you are referring to this meal, use lunch.WORD FOCUS: meal
WORD FOCUS: meal meals at different times of day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea British English, dinner, supper
a meal outside: picnic, barbecue also barbie informal, cookout American English
when you quickly eat a little food : snack, a bite to eat
a very big meal for a lot of people: banquet, feast
parts of a meal: starter British English, appetizer American English (the first course)
main course/entree especially AmE, side dish (eaten with the main course)
dessert also pudding sweet British English (sweet food eaten at the end of the meal)
➔ See also meal
