Difference Between Dinner and Supper

Main Difference – Dinner vs Supper

In some parts of the US, dinner and supper are used interchangeably; in some parts of the world, dinner refers to the last meal of the day, whereas supper is the last meal in some other parts. There is a lot of confusion regarding these two terms. The main difference between dinner and supper is their usage. Dinner can be used to indicate a formal, grand and sophisticated meal whereas supper can be used to indicate an informal and light meal.

What is Dinner

Dinner is the principal meal of the day, taken either around midday or in the evening. However, the term dinner can have many different meanings depending on the culture; it can refer to a meal of any size eaten at any time of the day. Dinner is usually preceded by breakfast and lunch. However, in some regions, the meal eaten at noon (lunch) is known as dinner. Traditionally, dinner was referred to the first meal of the day, taken before noon.

Dinner can also refer to a formal evening meal, typically one in honor of a person or event. A banquet, feast or a special meal eaten on a holiday is always known as dinner, not supper. Christmas dinner and thanksgiving dinner are examples for this. Moreover, we generally invite people to dinner, not to supper.

What is Supper

Supper is an evening meal, typically light and informal. The word supper is also used to refer to a late-evening snack. In some parts of the world, supper and dinner are interchangeable. In Saskatchewan and much of Atlantic Canada, supper is the main meal of the day, taken in the late afternoon and dinner is the mid-day meal.

A major distinction between dinner and supper is that dinner is usually associated with sophistication and grandeur whereas supper is light and informal. It can refer to a simple family meal eaten in the kitchen.