a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
"After eating lunch at noon, we had a light supper of soup and bread before retiring."
a social gathering where a light evening meal is served
"her suppers often included celebrities"
Food consumed before going to bed.
"The patient supper took his time savoring every drop of wine before finishing the glass."
A drinker, especially one who drinks slowly (i.e., one who sups).
In plain English: Supper is an informal evening meal that some families eat instead of dinner, often when they don't want to cook something fancy or have leftovers from lunch.
"We usually eat supper at six o'clock in the evening."
Usage: In modern American English, "supper" almost exclusively refers to the evening meal rather than its archaic meaning of drinking slowly or consuming a pre-retirement snack. Use it interchangeably with dinner in casual contexts, but avoid it when referring to formal dining occasions where "dinner" is preferred.
To consume a snack before retiring.
"After finishing his dinner, he had just a small piece of fruit as supper before going to bed."
In plain English: To supper means to eat your evening meal with other people.
"The children would not go to bed until their father said supper."
The word supper comes from the Old French soper, which originally meant soup before traveling into English to refer to a late meal. Today it retains that connection by implying a final course of food rather than just any evening repast.