Do you eat at a ‘dinner’ or a ‘diner’? What’s the difference between these two words? We’ll help clear that up in this article, plus teach you how to use both words correctly in a sentence.
The quick answer is that ‘dinner’ is a meal you eat in the evening. A ‘diner’ is a place you might eat that dinner, also known as a type of restaurant.
We’ve just learned that ‘diner’ is a type of restaurant and ‘dinner’ is the meal you eat in the evening (following lunch).
Only use ‘diner’ when referring to a restaurant, a physical location where people can go and eat a meal, or a train car.
Only use ‘dinner’ when talking about the final meal of the evening – the meal that follows lunch.
They both come from the root word ‘dine.’
The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘diner’ is: “a person who dines (as in a restaurant) or who is dining,” “a dining car,” “chiefly US: a typically small, informal, and inexpensive restaurant that has an extensive menu and that is often made from or designed to resemble a modified railroad dining car.”
Some synonyms of the word include:
The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘dinner’ is: “the principal meal of the day,” “a formal feast or banquet,” “table d’hôte,” “the food prepared for a dinner,” “a packaged meal usually for quick preparation.”
Synonyms of the word include:
Now that we know what both words mean, we can look at some examples of how to use them in a sentence. Here are some examples of how to use ‘diner.’
Now, let’s see some examples of how to use ‘dinner.’
Now that you know that ‘dinner’ is a meal and ‘diner’ is a type of restaurant, you should have no problem using the words in a sentence, especially with the above examples as a guide.
If you ever get stuck, feel free to pop back over for a quick refresher. We’ve also got a ton of other content dedicated to explaining confusing words and phrases in the English language. Don’t be afraid to go check it out.
