supper

supper — noun

1. the cooked food that people eat in the early evening, especially in northern Bri

1.nounB1
Definition

the cooked food that people eat in the early evening, especially in northern Britain where it serves as the biggest meal — a family, for instance, gathering around half past five for meat, potatoes, and vegetables.

Example

In many parts of northern England, families eat their supper around six in the evening.

collocation: eat supper with time expression

Ezra's grandmother always prepares a hot supper with meat and vegetables for the family.

Common collocations
  • eat supper
  • have supper
  • prepare supper
  • cook supper
  • serve supper
  • at supper
  • after supper
  • before supper
  • for supper
  • supper time
Synonyms
  • dinner

    more widely used across English varieties for the main evening meal; can also mean the midday meal in some British dialects

  • evening meal

    neutral term that avoids the supper/dinner ambiguity

Grammar Patterns

have/eat + supper

for + supper

Usage Note

In northern England and Scotland, 'supper' often refers to the main evening meal, while in most of the United States and southern England the word 'dinner' is preferred. 'Supper' tends to sound more informal or old-fashioned in many regions.

Common Mistakes

We had a big supper for lunch at one o'clock.
We had a big dinner for lunch at one o'clock, and then a light supper in the evening.
In British English, 'dinner' can be the midday meal; 'supper' is the evening meal regardless of size.

2. food that you have shortly before going to sleep, usually a small amount such as

2.nounB1
Definition

food that you have shortly before going to sleep, usually a small amount such as fruit, cereal, or a warm drink — for instance, something quick after arriving home from a late movie or a night shift.

Example

After the night shift ended, Jin stopped for a quick supper at the all-night cafe.

collocation: quick supper / late supper

Amani prefers a light supper of fruit and yoghurt before going to sleep.

collocation: light supper + of [ingredients]

Common collocations
  • light supper
  • late supper
  • quick supper
  • early supper
  • have supper
  • eat supper
  • for supper
Synonyms
  • snack

    suggests something even smaller and more casual than a late supper

  • bedtime snack

    explicitly places the meal before sleep; more informal

Grammar Patterns

light + supper

late + supper

have/eat + supper

Usage Note

This is the most common meaning of 'supper' in American English. The meal is typically smaller than dinner and is often eaten shortly before bedtime. Frequently modified by adjectives such as light, late, small, or bedtime.

Common Mistakes

I ate a heavy supper of steak and potatoes right before bed.
I had a light supper of fruit and crackers before bed.
'Supper' in this sense implies a small, light meal, not a large one.

3. a social gathering in the evening where a meal is served, often organised by a c

3.nounB2
Definition

a social gathering in the evening where a meal is served, often organised by a community group, school, or charity to raise money or bring people together — for example, a church hosting a buffet meal to fund a new roof.

Example

Tamar's school organised a charity supper to raise money for new library books.

collocation: charity supper + purpose (to raise money)

Nadia and her husband hosted a formal supper for twelve guests in their garden.

collocation: formal supper / host a supper

Common collocations
  • charity supper
  • church supper
  • annual supper
  • formal supper
  • potluck supper
  • host a supper
  • attend a supper
  • community supper
Synonyms
  • dinner party

    more intimate and formal, typically hosted at someone's home for invited guests

  • banquet

    larger, more formal, and often ceremonial; not used for community fundraisers

  • potluck

    a specific type of supper where each guest brings a dish to share

Grammar Patterns

[noun] + supper

Usage Note

Common in fixed compound nouns: a preceding noun names the type of event (charity supper, church supper, potluck supper, annual supper). The food is often served buffet-style rather than as a seated, multi-course meal.

4. in Scotland and northern England, adding 'supper' after a deep-fried food such a

4.nounB2
Definition

in Scotland and northern England, adding 'supper' after a deep-fried food such as fish or sausage tells the shop worker that you want the food served with thick-cut potato chips — so 'a fish supper' means battered fish alongside chips, bought from a takeaway shop.

Example

Gabriela ordered a fish supper from the chip shop on her way home.

regional compound: fish supper

Christopher asked for a sausage supper with extra salt and vinegar on the chips.

regional compound: sausage supper

Common collocations
  • fish supper
  • sausage supper
  • haggis supper
  • pizza supper
  • chip shop supper
  • order a supper
  • takeaway supper
Synonyms
  • fish and chips

    the standard term outside Scotland; refers to the same dish without using the word 'supper'

  • chip shop meal

    a broader term covering any takeaway from a fish-and-chip shop

Grammar Patterns

[food] + supper

Usage Note

Chiefly Scottish and Northern English. The food item naming the supper is almost always battered and deep-fried (fish supper, sausage supper, haggis supper). This sense is not used in American English or most other English varieties. The chips in this context are British-style thick-cut french fries.

Common Mistakes

I ordered a fish supper at a restaurant in New York.
I ordered fish and chips at a restaurant in New York.
The compound 'fish supper' is a regional term specific to Scotland and parts of northern England; outside these areas, 'fish and chips' is the standard expression.
Idioms

sing for your supper

idiom

to have to do something, such as perform a task or provide entertainment, in order to earn a meal, a reward, or another benefit.

The intern knows she has to sing for her supper by taking on the least pleasant tasks in the office.

At the open-mic night, every performer literally sings for their supper — the audience votes on who gets a free meal.

the Last Supper

idiom

in the Christian religion, the final meal that Jesus Christ ate with his disciples on the night before his death, often depicted in art and commemorated in the Eucharist or Holy Communion.

Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper is one of the most famous artworks in the world.

Christians remember the Last Supper every time they take part in Holy Communion.

Word family

  • sup
    verbC2
  • supperless
    adjectiveC2
  • supper-time
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The choice among 'supper', 'dinner', 'tea', and 'evening meal' depends heavily on region, social class, and personal habit. 'Dinner' is the most widespread term for the main evening meal in the English-speaking world. 'Supper' originally meant a lighter meal eaten later, and in northern England and Scotland it still serves as the word for the main cooked evening meal — often the meal eaten when lunch is called 'dinner'. 'Tea' in working-class northern England and some Commonwealth countries can mean the main evening meal as well. 'Evening meal' is the most neutral option, carrying no regional or class connotations. For example: a family in Manchester might say 'supper is ready' (main meal at 6 PM), a family in London would more likely say 'dinner is ready' (main meal at 7–8 PM), and a writer in a cookbook might use 'evening meal' to avoid ambiguity entirely.

supper ↗dinner ↗tea ↗evening meal

Common collocations

Nouns

  • supper time
  • supper club
  • supper table
  • supper menu
  • supper hour

Adverbs

Phrases

  • eat like a king at supper
  • supper is served
  • sit down to supper

Prepositions

Etymology

Vulgar LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'supper' entered English from Old French 'soper', meaning 'to eat the evening meal', which itself came from Vulgar Latin 'suppare' — a verb meaning 'to dip bread in broth' or 'to soak'. This Latin root is related to a Germanic base that also gave English the words 'soup' and 'sip'. The original idea was of a light meal where bread was dipped into a liquid, which evolved over centuries into the evening meal we call supper today.