What does dinner mean?
Dinner is the noun for the main meal of the day, and in contemporary American English and much of British usage it refers to the substantial meal eaten in the evening. The word also denotes a formal or ceremonial meal, as in a wedding dinner, awards dinner, or dinner party, where food is combined with social occasion. Historically and regionally, however, dinner has not always been an evening affair: in many parts of Britain, Ireland, and rural North America it traditionally named the midday meal, with lighter food taken later under other names. This flexibility makes dinner a useful word for discussing both everyday eating and hospitality, from casual family meals to black-tie events. It pairs naturally with verbs like have, eat, cook, and host, and appears in established phrases such as dinner party, dinner table, and dinner jacket. Its long association with gathering and celebration gives it warm, convivial connotations.
The main meal of the day, eaten either in the middle of the day or in the evening.
"She cooked a roast chicken for Sunday dinner."
In British and rural North American dialects, this sense may refer specifically to the midday meal.
A formal evening meal, often organized to mark an occasion or entertain guests.
"He was the guest of honor at the annual charity dinner."
Usually uncountable when referring to the daily meal ('we had dinner'), but takes a regular plural when counting occasions or types of formal meals ('three dinners', 'state dinners').
"The hotel served hundreds of dinners during the conference."
For centuries, 'dinner' meant the midday meal — only industrial-era work schedules pushed it into the evening.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dinner
Dinner derives from Old French 'disner', which itself came from Vulgar Latin '*disjejunare', meaning to break one's fast — the same root behind the rarer word 'disjune'. English adopted the word in Middle English, when it referred to the first substantial meal of the day, typically eaten around midday. As mealtimes shifted over the centuries, dinner moved later into the afternoon and eventually the evening, while its Latin root also gave rise to related terms such as 'postprandial' through the separate Latin word 'prandium' for a meal.
How dinner is actually used
In most of the US and increasingly in Britain, dinner means the evening meal. In parts of Northern England, Scotland, Wales, and rural North America, it traditionally refers to the midday meal, with 'tea' or 'supper' used for the evening one. 'Dinner' can also carry a slightly formal tone when paired with events ('a fundraising dinner').
Easily confused with dinner
Supper is a lighter or later evening meal, whereas dinner refers to the day's main meal, whether eaten at midday or in the evening.