Use the word dinner in a sentence

Examples of how to use the word “dinner” in a sentence. How to connect “dinner” with other words to make correct English sentences.

dinner (n): the main meal of the day, usually the meal you eat in the evening but sometimes, in Britain, the meal eaten in the middle of the day

Use “dinner” in a sentence

Have you had dinner yet?

They were in the middle of dinner when I called.

Where’re we going for dinner? Back to “3000 Most Common Words in English”

1. After dinner sit awhile, after supper walk a mile. 

2. After dinner comes the reckoning.

3. When flatterers meet, the devil goes to dinner. 

4. He that saves his dinner will have the more for his supper. 

5. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. 

6. After dinner sit a while, after supper walk a while. 

7. The dinner will be served buffet style.

8. I’ll just freshen up before dinner.

9. The dinner was a formal affair.

10. He racked all the bottles of wine after dinner.

11. She began to harp us to drink after dinner.

12. Mom, what did you fix for dinner?

13. The hungry man devoured his dinner.

14. The smell means dinner to the children.

15. He’s been asked out to dinner.

16. I bedashed a salad with pepper before dinner.

17. I invited them to dinner, a gesture of goodwill.

18. She prepared a hearty stew for dinner.

19. Jimmy has been made dinner money monitor.

20. What do you want to eat for dinner?

20. Sentencedict.com try its best to gather and create good sentences.

21. She invited his relations to dinner.

22. After dinner she blew out the candles.

23. We had beef steak for dinner.

24. We all washed up after dinner.

25. After dinner, Kate lapsed into a glum silence .

26. The nurse wheeled the dinner up.

27. The dinner party conversation faltered for a moment.

28. Is it time for dinner yet?

29. Poverty is an abnormality to rich people. It is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell. 

30. The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving any excuse. 

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What’s the Difference Between Diner and Dinner?

Diner and dinner both have to do with eating. We know this because they are derivations of the verb dine.

Despite their similar subject matter, they have different meanings and pronunciations. Therefore, they cannot be interchanged either in speech or in writing.

Diner is a noun that can refer to a person who eats, a train car on which to eat, or an informal restaurant with inexpensive food. This last meaning is most common in North America.

• The family wanted an omelet with sausage, as well as pancakes, so they went to a diner.

Dinner is a noun that refers to the largest meal of the day. In modern contexts, this is usually the third meal of the day, coming after breakfast and lunch.

• He wasn’t hungry for dinner at 5PM, but he thought he’d be hungry by 7PM.

Although these two words have completely different meanings, people still confuse them often because of their similarities.

Let’s look at how to use these words in context and avoiding mixing the two up.

Using Diner in a Sentence

When to use diner: Diner is always a noun. The first meaning is a person who dines. The second meaning is a train car that serves food. The third meaning is common only in North America, and developed out of the second meaning. This final meaning is an informal restaurant, often modeled after the style of train diners.

For example:

• The diner slurped his soup and smacked his lips as he ate his spaghetti. (first meaning)
• The woman woke up in one of the train’s sleeper cars and decided to make her way towards the diner to eat breakfast. (second meaning)
• Despite not being fancy, diners are a popular place to go for breakfast foods or foods like hamburgers and french fries. (third meaning)

There aren’t any notable idioms that use the word diner. Ironically, restaurant diners themselves use many idioms. For example, greasy spoon is slang for diner. Within the kitchen, a cook might say Adam and Eve on a log to mean two poached eggs and a sausage link.

Using Dinner in a Sentence

When to use dinner: Dinner is a noun that means the main meal of the day.

For example:

• He didn’t care about eating healthy foods, so he ate fast food for dinner almost every night.
• Most wedding receptions offer guests two choices of what to eat for dinner.

There are also some common expressions that use dinner.

For example:

• dinner is served: dinner is ready
  • Kids, come downstairs to the table. Dinner is served.
• TV dinner: frozen meals that a person can easily microwave to prepare
  • I’m sick of my parents always buying TV dinners. I want a home-cooked meal once in awhile.
• dinner and a movie: a common combination for a romantic date
  • My date with Robert went well. It wasn’t anything special, just dinner and a movie, but we still had a chance to get to know each other better.
• dog’s dinner: a mess or failure
  • My office looks like a dog’s dinner. It’s so disorganized!

The last expression is more common in the United Kingdom and Australia than it is in America.

Remembering Diner vs. Dinner

Many people get confused as to which spelling is correct when sounding the word out in their head. Therefore, try to remember this mnemonic device.

The word diner is simply dine with er on the end. Many names of people are the verb + er, such as teacher, builder, and farmer. Likewise, a diner is a person who dines.

Additionally, dinner has a double n in the middle of the word. Supper is a synonym of dinner, which also has a double consonant. Dessert is the last part of dinner, and it also has two consonants. Remembering that these three related words all have a double consonant can help you choose the correct spelling.

Outside Examples

• Keady says he always wondered why Purdue coaches didn’t have their own sandwiches at the diner. –USA Today
• Director Stella Meghie sets the text conversations between Maddy and Olly in the diners and libraries she designs, which brings a visual intimacy to their budding connection and a quirky sense of humor and style to what could be rather maudlin and staid proceedings. –Chicago Tribune
• Booker then asked her to dinner in Newark. –New York Daily News
• Gently but with increasing purpose, she seizes hold of the dinner conversation and steers it in an unsettling new direction. –LA Times

Quiz: Dinner vs. Diner

Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either dinner or diner.

1. What time do you want to eat _______________ tonight?
2. My favorite ____________ is on Main Street. The waitresses there are all so friendly.
3. For ______________ they had a simple meal of meat and potatoes.

See answers below.

Article Summary

Should I use diner or dinner? Despite having a similar pronunciation and both being related to foods, these words are different and cannot be mixed up.

• Diner can refer to a person who eats, the restaurant area of a train, or an informal, inexpensive restaurant.
• Dinner is the main meal of the day.

In short, dinner consists of food, and diner can be a person or place with food.

Answers

1. dinner
2. diner
3. dinner

Diner vs. Dinner – What’s the Gist?

You go to a diner dī ner to eat dinner din ner. Both of these words are nouns, and they are related to each other by being centered on the idea of eating.

• Diner is a noun, indicating a person or a place.
• Dinner is a noun, usually meaning the principal meal of the day.

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How to Use Diner in a Sentence

Diner definition: Diner can mean two different types of nouns: the person who is eating food or the place where the person is eating the food.

When used as a place, diner often has an intimate, local connotation. The person who is a diner can either be simply dining or fine dining.

For example:

• The diner was known colloquially as being the local greasy spoon. (Noun)
• The diner was shaped like a dining car. (Noun)
• After the diner ate his meal, he gave the waiter a generous tip. (Noun)

The diner likes to eat at the diner.

How to Use Dinner in a Sentence

Dinner definition: Dinner refers to the meal itself, perhaps eaten at a diner. The word dinner has some layered meanings for being such an everyday noun.

As mentioned earlier, it is considered to be the principal meal of the day. It can also mean a formal feast or banquet, such as a state dinner. Or it can mean the actual food that was fixed for the meal.

For example:

• The dinner meal will be served at 6:00 P.M. (Noun)
• The governor and her husband hosted a state dinner for some members of the state congress. (Noun)
• Your mother expects you to eat your dinner. (Noun)

Dinner is a meal often served in the evening. However, as a prime meal of the day, it also means that it could be served in the afternoon as well.

Outside Examples of Diner vs. Dinner

• Bolsa was a cozy restaurant in a funky space. It was a little expensive and always an adventure: Diners could find odd ingredients on their plates, most that were proudly sourced from Texas. In its heyday, the restaurant was packed not only with Oak Cliff neighbors but also with other Dallasites who made the drive to see what all the fuss was about at a new restaurant inside an old body shop. –The Dallas Morning News
• Izard, the winner of “Top Chef” Season 4 is the chef/owner of four Chicago restaurants: Girl & the Goat, Little Goat Diner, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra. –Houston Chronicle
• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is serving Valentine’s Day Dinners with choice of bracelets, earrings, or cuff links to go with the three-course meal as well as choice of entree. Jewelry is by David Yurman. The packages are available Feb. 12-15 and priced at $500 and $1,000. Deadline for reservations is Feb. 11. –The Orange County Register
• Blatz is ready to delegate contact to primary care doctors. “…the doctor can help ensure they maintain a good relationship with their church, temple or mosque.” In other words, take two Sunday services and one dinner in Fellowship Hall and call me in two weeks. –The Star-Ledger

Phrases That Use Diner and Dinner

While there aren’t really any idioms for the word diner, there are some phrases that come from the derivatives of diner: dining and dined. Additionally, there are some phrases that use the word dinner.

Fine dining: Eating an exceptionally high-quality meal or in a highbrow establishment.

• To celebrate their anniversary, the couple went out for an evening of fine dining.

Wined and dined: Being generously offered lavish food and drink.

• The political candidate wined and dined voters in a bid to secure more financial support.

TV dinner: A prepared frozen dinner made popular in the 1950s.

• Each family member grabbed a TV dinner and gathered around the television to watch their favorite household show.

Dinner jacket: A formal jacket typically worn by men in the evening.

• The invitation for the banquet required a dinner jacket to be worn.

How to Remember These Words

A good way to remember the distinctions between these two nouns that have similar spellings and related ideas is to look at the letter(s) n. There is only one letter n in diner. A single diner goes to one particular diner to dine. During a good dinner, who doesn’t want to get seconds? There are two n’s in dinner suggesting two servings.

For example:

• The lonely diner went out to eat.
• The empty diner was closed.
• Enjoying the tasty dinner, the boy asked for seconds.

Article Summary

Is diner or dinner correct? It depends on what noun you need. If it is dealing with a person who eats food or a place that serves food, pick diner. If you mean the actual food itself or the time to eat it, use dinner.

Finally, a diner eats dinner at the diner.

• Diner is a noun for a person or a place.
• Dinner is a noun for an object or a time.

Contents

• 1 Diner vs. Dinner – What’s the Gist?
• 2 How to Use Diner in a Sentence
• 3 How to Use Dinner in a Sentence
• 4 Outside Examples of Diner vs. Dinner
• 5 Phrases That Use Diner and Dinner
• 6 How to Remember These Words
• 7 Article Summary

What is the difference between supper and dinner?

Most people look forward to certain meals throughout the day, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Depending on where you live, you might use terms like brunch, high tea, or siu yeh. Every meal term has a specific trait and time of day, but two of the more confusing terms are supper and dinner. 

In the United States, the words supper and dinner mean “evening meal,” but historically, people used them for separate meanings. For instance, supper is traditionally a light evening meal or a post-dinner snack, while dinner is the formal, main meal of the day. 

Before the 16th century, people ate dinner in the middle of the day instead of eating “lunch.” Dinner was also the largest meal of the day, which is the opposite of how Americans experience dinner now. Since people ate their biggest meal around noon, they accommodated their late-night munchies with “supper.” 

In other words, American English replaced the word dinner with “lunch,” and began eating their largest meal (dinner) at the end of the day. British English still uses the word dinner to mean “midday meal,” but not always. Dinner can still infer a large evening meal or a formal social occasion where food is served.

What is the definition of dinner?

The word dinner is a noun that describes any primary meal of the day, whether it occurs midday or at night. The noun also infers a family meal or a formal evening event that celebrates a special occasion, such as a holiday, birthday, or accomplishment. 

How to use dinner in a sentence?

Recent examples of dinner in a sentence include: 

“As billions of people around the world face stay-at-home orders… family dinners— and breakfasts and lunches— are resurgent.” –– NPR
“The yacht’s chef… prepared a sumptuous spread of jamon Ibérico to tide the guests over until their six-course dinner.” –– The New York Times
“The White House Correspondents’ Association has canceled its annual dinner …” –– Politico

Synonyms of dinner

Banquet, barbeque, buffet, cookout, feast, feed, luau, luncheon, regale, smorgasbord, spread.

What is the definition of supper?

The word supper is a noun that infers the largest meal of the day, a small evening meal, or an evening social event where dinner is served. The original meaning of supper involved a light meal after a noon dinner. In Scottish English, word supper is any food that’s paired with French fries. 

As an adjective, we can use the word supper to relate other people, places, or things to the concept of supper. For example, 

“Let’s meet around supper time.” 
“Come meet our supper guest.” 

How to use supper in a sentence?

Recent examples of supper in a sentence include: 

“A hearty savory supper with a surprisingly sweet bonus …” –– The New York Times
“The wild-game supper has traditionally been a way for rural America to share the harvest before winter sets in.” –– NPR
“How can I enjoy my supper when someone else is hungry?” –– The Perry News

Synonyms of supper

Breakfast, buffet, cookout, collation, dinner, luau, lunch, luncheon, picnic, potluck, refreshments, smorgasbord, snack, tea. 

The fascinating history of dinner and supper

The word dinner entered the English Language around the 12th century from Middle French disner to mean “first big meal of the day.” The Old French word stems from Low Latin disnáre and desinere for “to leave off,” which essentially means ‘to leave work for a meal.’ 

Despite its current use, the word dinner didn’t always mean “evening meal.” During the 11th century, the word disner meant “breakfast” (yes, that’s right!). The practice of eating dinner after breakfast began around the 18th century, where Europeans consumed their biggest meal between noon and 3 p.m. 

European farming communities maintained the tradition of early dinners, but people of the higher class began eating much later. Between the years 1760 and 1820, King George III ate dinner at the “Hanoverian hour” of 4 p.m., and his successor, King George IV, preferred dinner between 6 and 7 p.m.

The next successor upheld the Georive IV’s mealtime until the reign of Queen Victoria, who moved dinner to 8 p.m. around 1837. Since the Queen’s meal occurred much later, the tradition of a “dinette” began, which is a small, cold meal that’s served around 2 p.m. 

Let them eat cake… or supper (whichever you can afford)

As mentioned before, people of the working class ate dinner earlier because they worked and went to bed earlier than people who didn’t. If someone ate dinner around noon, it was common to eat supper as the last meal of the day between 5 and 7 p.m. 

Supper has traditionally consisted of lighter meal options, but as you’d expect, it also depends on social status. According to Charles W. Hutson’s 1897 book, The Story of Language, the word supper comes from Old French soper (or Middle French souper), which means: 

“‘To sup,’ and that is from soupe, the evening meal being simply a soup or broth, or bread and milk, a repast [light meal] without meat.”

It’s fair to say that Hutson’s definition of supper pertains to low or middle-class folks, as people of higher classes enjoyed more lavish food options and held starkly different traditions of supper “etiquette,” if you will. 

Marie Antionette, the last Queen of France, enjoyed supper around 9 p.m., which often included more food than her dinner. According to historical writer Geri Walton, the French Queen’s suppers consisted of, “a little bouillon, the wing of a chicken, and a glass of water in which she dips some little biscuits.” 

Another historical example involves Frances Bankes, the wife of an English politician, who famously welcomed 140 aristocratic guests for a ball at Kingston Hall in 1791. According to Regency History, supper began at 1 a.m., and the event ended with breakfast at 7 a.m. 

The tradition of later supper times and exorbitant palates continued into modernity, where high-class supper achieved many forms. According to Emily Post’s 1922 handbook, “Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home,” a sit-down supper was “continuous” (two to three hours-long), or it occurred at a set time. 

A continuous sit-down supper is said to be the “most elaborate ball supper,” as it always included champaign and food that didn’t spoil quickly, such as pâtes, sweetbreads, or creamed oysters. Meanwhile, a set-time supper featured an unlimited menu because the kitchen was at the guest’s beck and call. 

Buffet suppers occurred at dances, not balls, although most suppers provided an additional buffet table for cold items. The term supper service referred to upscale balls in New York City that occurred between one and three in the morning. 

Rural America and the “supper of rustics”

Outside of the glitzy city-life, farming families of the American South and midwestern states continued the distinction between supper and dinner. But why the difference?

According to Ligaya Mishan of The New York Times, the definition of dinner began changing with the advent of gaslights and electricity. City lights allowed people to work longer and eat dinner later, while rural populations relied more on daylight and candles. 

Food historian Helen Zoe Veit agrees that rural Americans didn’t have the luxury of a late-night dinner/supper (or even a second-supper, for that matter). Viet explains in a 2015 NPR article: 

“… having a second supper before widespread electrification would have been [a luxury] since it would have required having enough fuel to illuminate a room well after sundown.”

As noted by the NYT, industrialism gradually transformed late dinners into a necessity when factory workers couldn’t rely on a noon meal. So while “dinner” replaced the time of “supper,” Americans in the Midwest and South stuck with the word “supper,” instead.

Indeed, Mishan points out how the 1828 edition of the American Dictionary of English Language states, “The dinner of fashionable people would be the supper of rustics.” 

Who uses the words supper and dinner now?

Since the turn of the 20th century, the word dinner has remained more common than supper for American English. However, supper and dinner retained their traditional meanings in Southern and Midwestern states, Northeastern Canada, and British-English dialects throughout the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Google Books’ Ngram Viewer also shows how the frequency of “dinner” began surpassing “supper” within the 18th and 19th centuries. The word dinner peaked in American and British English between 1880 and 1910, while the frequency of supper remained relatively low (presumably with younger generations). 

When to use supper or dinner for writing?

If you’re writing for an American audience, it’s best to use the word dinner to mean “a large meal” at night. Outside of midwestern or southern states, many people might not understand “supper” in the traditional sense (i.e., as a secondary, light evening meal). 

For English-speaking audiences outside of the United States, the word dinner is still more common than supper. However, if your audience lives in the United Kingdom, Northeastern Canada, Australia, or New Zealand–– there’s a good chance they use dinner and supper in the traditional format. 

Test Yourself!

Are you ready to dig into your grammar skills? See how much you’ve learned about supper vs. dinner with the following multiple-choice questions. 

1. The word dinner originally implied a meal at what time? 
   a. Morning 
   b. Noontime 
   c. Early afternoon
   d. Late evening
2. Modest, traditional suppers consisted of ___________? 
   a. Pot of soup
   b. Bread and milk
   c. Chicken wings
   d. A and B
3. Where are you most likely to hear “supper” over “dinner” in the US?
   a. California
   b. Wisconsin 
   c. Washington DC.
   d. Hawaii 
4. Which of the following words is not synonymous with “dinner”? 
   a. Buffet
   b. Luncheon
   c. Tea
   d. Smorgasbord 
5. Which of the following words is not synonymous with “supper”? 
   a. Feast
   b. Picnic 
   c. Refreshments
   d. Dinner
6. Bonus Question: Old French translated the Latin words disnáre and desinere to mean ______________.
   a. Soup cooking
   b. Light evening meal
   c. Leaving work for a meal
   d. Morning meal 

Answers

1. B
2. D
3. B
4. C
5. A
6. C

Sources

1. Albright, Charlotte. “In Vermont, A Wild-Game Church Supper Feeds The Multitudes.” NPR, 26 Nov 2013. 
2. Davies, Dave. “Cooking During COVID-19: Family Meals And Fantasies Of Future Dinner Parties.” NPR, 7 Apr 2020. 
3. “Dinner.” Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, 2020.
4. “Dinner.” Lexico, Oxford University Press, 2020.
5. Harper, Douglas. “Dinette (n.)” Online Etymology Dictionary, 2020. 
6. Harper, Douglas. “Dinner (n.).” Online Etymology Dictionary, 2020. 
7. Hutson, Charles W. “The Story of Language.” A.C. McClurg and Company, 1897, pp. 305. 
8. Knowles, Rachel. “Frances Bankes’ ball at Kingston Lacy 19 December 1791.” Regency History, 19 Dec 2018. 
9. Marino, Nick. “A Fashion Designer’s Reimagining of a Quinoa Bowl.” The New York Times, 26 June 2020. 
10. Mishan, Ligaya. “The Chefs Reinventing the Midwestern Supper Club.” The New York Times, 7 Oct 2019. 
11. Oprysko, Caitlin. “White House Correspondents’ Association cancels 2020 dinner.” Politico, 23 June 2020. 
12. Post, Emily (1922). “Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home.” Funk & Wagnalls, Google Books, 21 Oct 2008, pp. 163-278. 
13. “Supper.” Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, 2020.
14. “Supper.” Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Dictionary.com, 2020. 
15. Walton, Geri. “Marie Antoinette’s Daily Schedule as Queen.” Geri Walton, 1 Mar 2020. 
16. Weaver, Caity. “The Reality Behind ‘Below Deck.’” The New York Times, 29 June 2020.
17. Weeks, Linton. “How Many Daily Meals Did We Once Eat?” NPR, 29 Sept 2015.

When words have several related meanings, you have to rely on context to parse the meaning of a sentence. When very similar words have similar meanings, the task becomes much harder. Consider the following sentence:

• For their annual Christmas dinner, the diners ate dinner at a local diner.

This is a perfectly grammatical sentence, albeit a somewhat confusing one. If it were part of an academic or professional piece, it would need to be rephrased.

Still, it illustrates the point that words with more than one meaning can make English difficult to understand.

Diner and dinner are nouns with multiple senses that are all related in some way to food. As you can see, this commonality can be a source of confusion. This article will help you decide whether to use dinner or diner, and when each word is correct.

What is the Difference Between Diner and Dinner?

In this article, I will compare diner vs. dinner. I will use each word in a sentence to illustrate its proper context, and, at the end, I will discuss a useful trick to help you remember whether the word you’re using should be diner or dinner.

When to Use Diner

What does diner mean? Diner is a noun, with three common meanings.

A diner is usually either a person who is eating or a small restaurant serving simple American cuisine.

A diner could also be a car on a train where food is served. These cars are also called dining cars. Due to the popularity of air travel, this usage is growing less commonplace.

You can see examples of the word diner in the sentences below.

• Let’s eat at that little diner on 28th and Burnside; I think it’s called Holman’s.
• The diner at table three finished his meal and asked for the check.
• When the train derailed, all the food in the diner spilled, creating a big mess.
• She was having dinner at the Malibu, a diner also on 23rd Street that caters to her and her handicapped neighbors. –The Wall Street Journal

When to Use Dinner

What does dinner mean? Dinner is also a noun. It refers to a large daily meal. In most cultures, dinner is eaten either at midday or in the evening.

Dinner also refers to a large formal gathering at which a meal is eaten, usually in honor of a person or to commemorate a special event. In this case, it becomes a synonym of the word banquet.

Here are some examples of dinner in a sentence,

• Tell the children to come inside; it’s time for dinner.
• I received an invitation to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but I did not attend.
• If she does go out for dinner, it is to a restaurant where she can get something she wouldn’t make at home. –The New York Times

Trick to Remember the Difference

Here is a helpful trick to remember dinner vs. diner.

• A diner is either a person, a restaurant, or a train car.
• Dinner is either a meal or a gathering around food.

Therefore, if you’re referring to a person or place, diner is the correct word. To describe a meal or an event, you would want to use dinner, instead.

You can remember that dinner refers to a meal since it shares a double N with the word anniversary, and anniversary dinners are a popular tradition among married people.

Summary

Is it diner or dinner? Diner and dinner are similar nouns that all related to food in some way.

• A diner refers to a person who is eating, a certain type of restaurant, or a train car where food is served.
• Dinner is an important meal, or a formal gathering around food.

You can remember to save dinner for occasions involving a meal by remembering the double N in the words anniversary and dinner.

If you still need help, you can always check this article again for a refresher.