Dinner vs. Diner — What's the Difference?

A meal honoring a particular occasion or guest.

A small, casual restaurant with a counter and booths.

The food prepared and eaten for the main evening meal.

A person who is eating a meal.

A formal event where a meal is served.

A roadside restaurant often with extended service hours.

An evening meal at a social or official function.

Someone who frequents eating establishments.

Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which some Westerners eat in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner.

An eatery resembling a dining car on a train.

The chief meal of the day, eaten in the evening or at midday.

A diner is a small restaurant found predominantly in the Northeastern, Southeastern, and Midwestern United States, as well as in other parts of the US, Canada, Serbia and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a combination of booths served by a waitstaff and a long sit-down counter with direct service, in the smallest simply by a cook.

A banquet or formal meal in honor of a person or event.

One that dines

The food prepared for either of these meals.

A dining car.

A full-course meal served at a fixed price; table d'hôte.

A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter and booths, sometimes housed in a building designed to resemble a dining car.

A midday meal in a context in which the evening meal is called supper or tea.

One who dines.

The main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.

A dining car in a railroad train.

An evening meal.

A typically small restaurant, usually modeled after a railroad dining car, that serves lower-class fare, normally having a counter with stools along one side and booths on the other, and often decorated in 50s and 60s pop culture themes and playing popular music from those decades.

A meal given to an animal.

One who dines.

A formal meal for many people eaten for a special occasion.

A person eating a meal (especially in a restaurant)

(uncountable) The food provided or consumed at any such meal.

A passenger car where food is served in transit

(intransitive) To eat a dinner; to dine.

A restaurant that resembles a dining car

(transitive) To provide (someone) with a dinner; to dine.

The principal meal of the day, eaten in some countries about midday, but in others (especially in the U. S. and in large cities) at a later hour.

An entertainment; a feast.

The main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday;

A party of people assembled to have dinner together;

While the concept of diners originated in America, similar eateries exist worldwide, though they might not be called diners.

Typically, a diner is a casual eatery, but the term "diner" can also just refer to a person eating.

A banquet is a large, formal dinner celebrating a particular event or occasion.

While many diners focus on American classics, they can offer a variety of cuisines depending on their location and management.

A dinner party's formality varies. It can be a casual gathering of friends or a more structured event with formal place settings.

In some regions and traditions, "dinner" can mean a midday meal, but it commonly refers to the evening meal.

Yes, "to dinner" is archaic but means "to dine" or "to have dinner."

Diners often serve comfort foods like burgers, fries, milkshakes, and all-day breakfast items.

Dinner is typically served in the evening, though the exact time varies by culture and individual preference.

In some contexts, they're synonymous, both meaning the evening meal. However, in certain regions, "supper" might be a lighter, later meal.

Diners are typically known for providing quicker service than formal restaurants but not as fast as fast-food establishments.

Unlike "diner," which can mean a person eating, "dinner" typically doesn't refer to individuals.

Traditionally, dinner refers to the main meal, which is often in the evening. However, in some places, a substantial midday meal can be called dinner.

Yes, a "diner" can be someone eating any meal, not just dinner.

American diners often have a casual, retro ambiance, with booths, a counter, and sometimes a jukebox.