# What do you call the evening meal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374 "2015-05-06T10:18:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/1 "2015-05-06T10:18:44Z")
Supper? Tea? Dinner? Something else entirely? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/2 "2015-05-06T10:21:32Z")
Dinner if it’s the biggest meal of the day. Tea if it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/3 "2015-05-06T11:08:58Z")
When I was a kid it was “tea”. But somewhere along the line it morphed into being called “dinner”. And we used to call a post-dinner snack “supper” but I don’t really do that anymore. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/4 "2015-05-06T11:18:28Z")
I’ve always used supper and dinner interchangeably. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/5 "2015-05-06T11:22:36Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve always used supper and dinner interchangeably. Me too, but I have known people who have dinner for lunch and supper for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/6 "2015-05-06T12:24:02Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve always used supper and dinner interchangeably. Ditto for the most part, although “supper” almost exclusively means dinner at home. ---
**Author:** ![justanothermike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@justanothermike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justanothermike)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/7 "2015-05-06T12:37:50Z")
Dinner. But more importantly, what’s up with those percentages on the poll? 100% vote dinner, but those over 100% are welcome to vote otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/8 "2015-05-06T12:37:53Z")
Breakfast depending on how my day went. Usually I call it dinner. Supper is acceptable but used much lesd. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/9 "2015-05-06T12:46:34Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve always used supper and dinner interchangeably. This. But I do note that one could call a ‘very special’ lunch such as Thanksgiving or Xmas by the term ‘dinner’ also. But I’ve never had supper at lunchtime. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/10 "2015-05-06T12:48:14Z")
I’d always called it “dinner” until Pappy came to live with us. He’ll say “Dinner? But we had that at noon!” So I’ve started calling it supper now to avoid all the silliness. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/11 "2015-05-06T13:04:59Z")
It’s dinner. Supper can be used to. The ‘noon’ meal is lunch. ‘Brunch’ is a late breakfast, early lunch. It’s not called Brinner. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/12 "2015-05-06T13:32:48Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I’ve always used supper and dinner interchangeably. That’s me, too. Dinner and supper both mean “the evening meal.” They are exact synonyms, with absolutely no difference in denotation or connotation. Under no circumstances can “dinner” be eaten at midday. That’s lunch, I don’t care how big it is. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/13 "2015-05-06T14:07:24Z")
Always dinner. I’ve never used the word “supper” in my life. I’m assuming it is a regionalism (?) ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/14 "2015-05-06T14:25:51Z")
My family calls it “supper” and so do I. I figure that that way it avoids confusion towards people who call the noon-time meal “dinner.” I don’t know if it’s a Canadianism, a Canadian regionalism, or just something my own family does. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/15 "2015-05-06T14:34:36Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > That’s me, too. Dinner and supper both mean “the evening meal.” They are exact synonyms, with absolutely no difference in denotation or connotation. > > Under no circumstances can “dinner” be eaten at midday. That’s lunch, I don’t care how big it is. For me, dinner is the evening meal. Supper is rarely used, has less of a distinct meaning, and so I would not be too surprised to hear it used to refer to a different meal. I would not call them exact synonyms. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/16 "2015-05-06T14:34:45Z")
I don’t have a cite but I’ve heard: “Supper” any meal after noon “Tea” 4 pm and you usually don’t have anything but tea and maybe a pastry. “Dinner” any meal after 6 pm ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/17 "2015-05-06T14:35:40Z")
La cena is the third meal of the day. Otherwise with working a rotating scheduled of days and nights it becomes difficult to give a damn about what to call a particular meal. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/18 "2015-05-06T14:48:12Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > For me, dinner is the evening meal. Supper is rarely used, has less of a distinct meaning, and so I would not be too surprised to hear it used to refer to a different meal. I would not call them exact synonyms. In case it wasn’t clear, I was describing my own perceptions of the words. No one else is obliged to take my opinions as binding on them. Although it would be nice if people did. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/19 "2015-05-06T14:52:30Z")
I voted for “Dinner?”, but I usually just call it “Dinner” with no question mark. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374/20 "2015-05-06T14:55:42Z")
Either _dinner_ or _supper_ means the evening meal. I always say _dinner_, though. That’s also what I hear most people say. My mom uses both, but probably leans toward _supper_ a little more often. Maybe there is a generational component? My mom is 80; I’m 41. The midday meal is always _lunch_ for me. Here in the Midwest, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone call the midday meal anything other than _lunch._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-the-evening-meal/719374.md?page=2)