evening meal

A family gathers around the table for their evening meal.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The main meal of the day, typically eaten in the evening: "evening meal" refers to the primary meal consumed during the evening hours, often around 6–8 PM. It is synonymous with "dinner" or "supper" in many cultures.
   • A social or family gathering around food in the evening: This term can also imply a structured event where people share food and conversation at the end of the day.

Usage Examples

• (The main meal of the day eaten in the evening.)
• (A simple meal consumed in the evening.)
• (A scheduled meal offered in the evening.)

Advanced Usage

• "to skip the evening meal": to intentionally not eat the main evening meal.

  • He skipped the evening meal to save calories. (He avoided eating dinner to reduce calorie intake.)

• "to host an evening meal": to invite guests to eat the evening meal at one's home.

  • They hosted an elegant evening meal for their colleagues. (They invited colleagues to a formal dinner at their home.)

Variants and Related Words

• Evening (n): the period of time at the end of the day, usually from sunset to bedtime.

  • We went for a walk in the cool evening. (The late part of the day.)

• Meal (n): an occasion when food is eaten, or the food itself.

  • Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. (The first meal of the day.)

Synonyms

• Dinner: the main meal of the day, often eaten in the evening.

  • Dinner is served at eight. (The evening meal.)

• Supper: a light meal eaten in the evening, often later than dinner.

  • We had a simple supper of cheese and fruit. (A light evening meal.)

• Tea (British English): sometimes used to refer to the evening meal, especially in working-class contexts.

  • What time is tea tonight? (What time is the evening meal?)

Related Idioms

• Eat like a bird at the evening meal: to eat very little during the evening meal.

  • She ate like a bird at the evening meal, picking at her salad. (She consumed a very small amount of food.)

• To make a meal of something: to treat something as more important or time-consuming than it warrants (not directly related to "evening meal," but a common idiom with "meal").

  • Don't make a meal of it — just apologize. (Don't exaggerate the situation.)