pic·nic
ˈpik-(ˌ)nik 
often attributive
1
: an excursion or outing with food usually provided by members of the group and eaten in the open
also
: the food provided for a picnic
2
a
: a pleasant or amusingly carefree experience
I don't expect being married to be a picnic—
Josephine Pinckney
Josephine Pinckney
b
: an easy task or feat
3
: a shoulder of pork with much of the butt removed
picnicked; picnicking
: to go on a picnic : eat in picnic fashion
picnicker
noun
Examples of picnic in a Sentence
Noun
We decided to have a picnic on the beach.
We ate our picnic by the lake.
The annual school picnic is this weekend.
This winter is a picnic compared with last year's.
Verb
We picnicked in the park.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Move over onion dip and pimiento cheese, this dip is perfect for bringing to a tailgate on the field, a picnic in the park, or holiday at Aunt Beverly's.
—Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025
At the earliest state fairs, attendees picnicked on the lawns with their own food.
—Jess Eng, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for picnic
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Noun
Paddle, fish, hike, or picnic at Turquoise Lake against the backdrop of Colorado’s highest peak, Mount Elbert.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Move over onion dip and pimiento cheese, this dip is perfect for bringing to a tailgate on the field, a picnic in the park, or holiday at Aunt Beverly's.
—Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Spend an afternoon exploring vineyards along the Long Island Wine Trail; Kontokosta Winery in Greenpoint is the North Fork’s only waterfront winery, and Borghese Vineyard and Winery is the region’s oldest vineyard and a lovely place to picnic.
—Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025
At the earliest state fairs, attendees picnicked on the lawns with their own food.
—Jess Eng, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for picnic
Cite this Entry
“Picnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picnic. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
picnic
1 of 2 noun
pic·nic
ˈpik-(ˌ)nik
1
: a meal eaten outdoors often during a trip away from home
2
a
: a pleasant or carefree experience
breaking a leg is no picnic
b
: an easy task
3
: a shoulder of pork that is often smoked and boned
picnicky
adjective
picnic
2 of 2 verb
picnicked; picnicking
: to go on a picnic : eat as if on a picnic
picnicker
noun
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