Words / B2

DYN-uh/ˈdaɪnə/

A diner is a person who is eating a meal, especially in a restaurant: diners at the table; a diner in the case. Guest and customer are close twins; dinner is the meal (already in the dictionary). Name the diner in the food-poisoning case, then the meal time. Mix-up: diner vs dinner (stress and spelling); dine; the US roadside café called a diner is not the British exam headword unless the source is American; do not write diner for that café as a default.

Meaning

A person who is eating a meal, especially in a restaurant.

Examples

• “Name the diner in the food-poisoning case, then the meal time, not a US café slogan.”
• “Covers (diners) featured in the catering accounts, which is the customer-count sense — still quote the n.”

Good to know

a diner; diners at. Close: guest / customer / cover. Trap: dinner / US roadside café. Health, catering, and accounts. A person eating a meal — name the time or the n, not an American café by default.

Near in meaning

guest, customer, cover

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