diners
diners — noun
- dinerssingular
- dinersesplural
1. People who are having a meal, especially at a restaurant, café, or other food-se
People who are having a meal, especially at a restaurant, café, or other food-service place.
The waiter brought coffee to the two diners sitting in the corner booth.
countable noun: diners + prepositional phrase for location
Jabari glanced around the room and noticed that most diners had nearly finished their meals.
The chef walked through the dining area to ask diners about the food.
A few diners at the next table were discussing a movie they had just seen.
Late-night diners at the all-night café ordered coffee and pie well after midnight.
文法句型
diners + verb
diners + prepositional phrase
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in the plural form, since the word describes people in a group setting. The singular 'a diner' is less common and refers to one specific person eating.
常見錯誤
2. A casual, low-cost restaurant common in the United States, typically located nea
A casual, low-cost restaurant common in the United States, typically located near roads or highways, with a long menu of classic American dishes and often a long counter with stools.
Théo stopped at a roadside diner and ordered a cheese omelette and coffee.
countable noun: at + a + descriptive adjective + diner
Most small-town diners in the US serve pancakes, burgers, and apple pie all year round.
The diner on Elm Street has served breakfast since five every morning for forty years.
When the tour bus broke down, the passengers walked to the nearest diner to wait.
Noor's uncle owned a small diner near the highway that was popular with truck drivers.
- café
similar in being casual, but a café focuses more on coffee and light meals
- dive bar/restaurant
informal US term; 'dive' implies the place is run-down but friendly
- greasy spoon
very informal British/US term for a cheap, basic eating place
文法句型
at/in a diner
diner + serves/has/offers
用法筆記
Frequently modified by location adjectives: 'roadside diner', 'all-night diner', 'local diner', 'neighbourhood diner'. The word carries a distinctly American cultural meaning — a 'diner' in the UK or Australia usually refers to the person eating, not the restaurant.
常見錯誤
3. A train carriage that is equipped with tables, seating, and a kitchen so passeng
A train carriage that is equipped with tables, seating, and a kitchen so passengers can buy and eat meals while travelling.
Arjun walked three carriages ahead to the diner to buy a sandwich and a drink.
definite article: the + diner (unique to the train)
The long-distance train had two diners, one for each class of passenger.
Passengers on the overnight train ate dinner in the diner as the landscape passed by.
Mizuki ate her meal in the train's diner while the sun set over the mountains.
- dining car
the full form of the same term
- restaurant car
British English term for the same thing
文法句型
in the diner
the train's diner
用法筆記
Often interchangeable with 'dining car', though 'diner' is shorter and more informal. In modern trains these carriages are giving way to café-bar cars, so the term is most commonly encountered in descriptions of older or classic rail journeys.