What does dinnertime mean?
Dinnertime is a compound noun denoting the customary hour at which dinner — the principal meal of the day — is eaten. In most contemporary American usage it points to the early evening, but its meaning shifts with local convention: in parts of Northern England, Scotland, and the rural American South, where "dinner" still names the midday meal, dinnertime effectively means lunchtime. The word functions as an uncountable time expression and typically appears without an article, as in "at dinnertime" or "by dinnertime." It carries warm, domestic connotations, often evoking family gatherings, routine, and the comfort of a shared meal, which makes it a frequent choice in both narrative writing and casual speech. Related compounds such as suppertime and teatime follow the same pattern, each anchoring a meal to its traditional hour. Simple and universally understood, dinnertime is useful precisely because it names not a fixed moment on the clock but a culturally shared rhythm of daily life.
nounThe time of day at which dinner is typically eaten, usually the early evening in American usage or midday in some British and regional usage.
- The customary time for eating the main meal of the day, whether that meal falls at midday (in some British and Southern US usage) or in the evening.
"By dinnertime the kitchen was filled with the smell of roasting chicken."
"Dinnertime was the one hour when the whole family gathered without screens or distractions."
"She always rushed home from work so the children wouldn't be late for dinnertime."
In parts of Britain and the American South, "dinner" is still the midday meal — so dinnertime there means lunch, not supper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dinnertime
Dinnertime combines "dinner" with "time," following a productive English pattern seen also in bedtime, lunchtime, and teatime. The word "dinner" derives from Old French "disner" (modern French "dîner"), itself from Vulgar Latin *disjejunare, meaning to break one's fast — the same root that gives us "disjejunation" and relates etymologically to "fast" and "breakfast." As English eating habits shifted over the centuries, moving the main meal from late morning toward evening, dinnertime drifted with it, which explains its differing meanings across regions today.
How dinnertime is actually used
A common, neutral compound noun used in everyday speech and writing; it takes no article in most constructions ("by dinnertime," not "by the dinnertime"). Its exact clock meaning varies regionally: in much of North America it implies the evening meal, while in parts of Northern England and the rural US South, "dinner" remains the midday meal.
Easily confused with dinnertime
Suppertime refers specifically to the evening meal called supper, whereas dinnertime can refer to either the main midday or evening meal depending on regional custom.