diner

/ˈdaɪnə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdaɪnər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdī-nər/ (ame, mw)

diner — noun

  • dinersingular
  • dinersplural

1. a person who is having a meal, especially at a restaurant or other food-serving

1.名詞B1
釋義

a person who is having a meal, especially at a restaurant or other food-serving place

例句

The diner at the next table complained that his steak was overcooked.

countable noun with definite article + prepositional phrase

Most diners leave a tip of around fifteen percent for good service.

同義詞
  • customer

    broader — anyone who pays for goods or services, not just food

  • patron

    more formal; implies a regular or supporting visitor

  • guest

    suggests an invited or welcomed visitor, often in a hotel or private setting

用法筆記

Often used in restaurant reviews or descriptions of dining settings. Commonly premodified by adjectives such as 'fellow', 'lone', 'hungry', or 'paying'.

常見錯誤

❌The diner served us quickly.' (when meaning the place)
✅The diner ate quickly.
💡'diner' as a person refers to someone eating, not the restaurant itself.

2. a small, inexpensive eating place, often with a long counter and booths, typical

2.名詞B1
釋義

a small, inexpensive eating place, often with a long counter and booths, typically found along roads or in small towns in the United States

例句

Eleni and Jude stopped at a roadside diner for burgers and milkshakes.

roadside diner — typical location collocation

The diner on Maple Street serves huge plates of pancakes for just five dollars.

同義詞
  • café

    more general; can range from simple to upscale

  • eatery

    informal and broad; not specific to any style

  • greasy spoon

    very informal, sometimes negative, suggesting low quality

用法筆記

Primarily used in American English. British English more commonly uses 'café' or 'caff' for a similar concept. The word often carries a nostalgic or retro connotation of mid-20th-century American culture.

常見錯誤

❌We ate at a diner in London.' (in British context)
✅We ate at a café in London.
💡'diner' is strongly associated with US-style casual restaurants.

3. a carriage on a passenger train where meals are served to passengers during the

3.名詞B2
釋義

a carriage on a passenger train where meals are served to passengers during the journey

例句

The train's diner had white tablecloths and fresh flowers on every table.

possessive: train's diner

Quan walked through three passenger cars to reach the diner for lunch.

同義詞

用法筆記

Exchangeable with 'dining car' in most contexts. This sense is the historical origin of sense 2 — many roadside diners were originally built from repurposed railroad dining cars.