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.
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.