dine
gb/dˈaɪn/ us/dˈaɪn/
B1
English
~ 1700
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Eat an evening or main meal
To eat the main meal of the day, usually dinner.
Usage pattern:
to dine [at a place] / to dine [with someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'dine' with 'eat' in casual contexts. 'Dine' is more formal and often used for special or social meals, not snacks or casual eating.
Synonyms
eat dinner (More direct and common in everyday speech; less formal than 'dine'.)
|
have supper (Similar meaning but can be region-specific (e.g., UK vs US usage).)
Antonyms
fast (Means to abstain from eating altogether, opposite of eating a meal.)
Collocations
dine out
|dine in
|dine together
|dine alone
|dine with friends
Themes
daily life
|food
|socializing
|daily_life
|food_drink
Examples
- We usually dine at a small Italian restaurant on Fridays.
- They dined together to celebrate their anniversary.
- We will be dining with the ambassador this evening.
- She prefers to dine early in the evening.
- I rarely dine out during the workweek.
Learner examples
- We dine at home every night.
- They dine at a big table.
- We will dine with my parents.
- I like to dine at the new cafe.
- She dines with her friends on Sundays.
Verb
formal
B2
action
2
Eat in a specific place or style
To eat a meal in a special place or way.
Usage pattern:
to dine [at/in/on something]
Synonyms
feast (Implies eating a large and elaborate meal; more celebratory than 'dine'.)
Collocations
dine al fresco
|dine in style
|dine at the hotel
|dine on seafood
Themes
food
|travel
|lifestyle
|food_drink
|daily_life
Examples
- Guests can dine al fresco on the terrace.
- They dined on freshly caught lobster by the beach.
- We dined in style at the five-star hotel.
- You can dine aboard the luxury train.
- They dined under the stars.
Learner examples
- We will dine on fresh fish.
- They dine in a nice restaurant.
- We will dine at the hotel.
- They dine outside in summer.
- We will dine on the train.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dine
IPA
GB/dˈaɪn/
US/dˈaɪn/
Syllables & stress
dine (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dine)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: dine
- 3rd Person Singular: dines
- Present Participle: dining
- Past: dined
Word family
Forms
dines
verb
dining
verb
dined
verb
Core family
dinner
noun A1
diner
noun
Advanced or less common
dinette
noun
Expressions
dine in style
1/dˈaɪn ˈɪn stˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
Eat in an elegant way or place
To eat in a fancy or special way, often with nice food and surroundings.
Examples
- Guests can dine in style at the hotel's rooftop restaurant.
- They dined in style during their anniversary trip.
dine out
1/dˈaɪn ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
Eat a meal away from home
To eat a meal in a restaurant or somewhere that is not your home.
Examples
- We try to dine out at least once a week.
- They dined out to celebrate her birthday.
wine and dine
1/wˈaɪn ˈænd dˈaɪn/
idiom
Entertain with meals and drinks
To give someone nice food and drinks, often to please or impress them.
Examples
- They wined and dined their clients to secure the deal.
- They wined and dined the clients before signing the deal.
- He loves to wine and dine his friends when they visit.
- He wined and dined her all weekend.