Standard Lemma guide

picnic

noun · phrase · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • pĭkʹ-nĭk
  • /ˈpɪknɪk/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪknɪk
  • homophone: pyknic
  • CMU ARPABET: P IH1 K N IH2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We went out for a picnic in the forest.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The meal eaten at such a gathering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An easy or pleasant task.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • We remind the guests that dealing with this problem is no picnic, and to be patient.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: piece of cake

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An entertainment at which each person contributed some dish to a common table.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A cut of pork from the shoulder area (above the front leg) of a pig.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

phrase

Meaning 6

Acronym of problem in chair, not in computer: states that the problem was not in the computer but was instead caused by the user operating it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, humorous

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To take part in a picnic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

any undertaking that is easy to do

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • marketing this product will be no picnic

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cinch, breeze, snap, duck soup, child's play, pushover, walkover, piece of cake

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: undertaking, project, task, labor

Narrower terms: doddle

9

noun

Meaning 9

any informal meal eaten outside or on an excursion

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: meal, repast

Narrower terms: cookout

10

noun

Meaning 10

a day devoted to an outdoor social gathering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: field day, outing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vacation, holiday

11

verb

Meaning 11

eat alfresco, in the open air

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We picnicked near the lake on this gorgeous Sunday

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: eat

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French pique-nique.

Across languages

Translations

92 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: pícnic — social gathering
  • Danish: skovtur — social gathering
  • German: Picknick — social gathering
  • Indonesian: berkelah — social gathering
  • Indonesian: makan angin — social gathering
  • Indonesian: piknik — social gathering
  • Central Kurdish: سەیران (seyran) — social gathering
  • Northern Kurdish: seyran — social gathering
  • Southern Kurdish: سەێران (seÿran) — social gathering
  • Macedonian: излет (izlet) — social gathering
  • Sundanese: mayor — social gathering
  • Sundanese: riung — social gathering
  • Arabic: نُزْهَة (nuzha) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Armenian: զբոսախնջույք (zbosaxnǰuykʻ) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Armenian: պիկնիկ (piknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Belarusian: пікні́к (pikník) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Bulgarian: пи́кник (píknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Catalan: pícnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Chinese Mandarin: 野餐 (yěcān) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Ngazidja Comorian: mɗezo — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Czech: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Danish: picnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Dutch: picknick — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Esperanto: pikniko — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Estonian: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Finnish: eväsretki — a meal eaten outdoors
  • French: pique-nique — a meal eaten outdoors
  • French: piquenique — a meal eaten outdoors
  • French: picnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Galician: merenda — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Galician: pandorgada — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Galician: pícnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Georgian: პიკნიკი (ṗiḳniḳi) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • German: Picknick — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Greek: πικνίκ (pikník) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Hebrew: פִּיקְנִיק — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Hindi: पिकनिक (piknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Hungarian: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Ido: pikniko — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Indonesian: botram — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Indonesian: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Italian: picnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Japanese: ピクニック (pikunikku) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Korean: 소풍 (sopung) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Korean: 피크닉 (pikeunik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Central Kurdish: سەیران (seyran) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Latvian: pikniks — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Lithuanian: piknikas — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Macedonian: излет (izlet) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Macedonian: пикник (piknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Maltese: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Maltese: xalata — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Norwegian Bokmål: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Pannonian Rusyn: вилєт (viljet) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Pannonian Rusyn: пикник (piknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Plautdietsch: Piknick — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Polish: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Portuguese: piquenique — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Punjabi: ਪਿਕਨਿਕ (piknik) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Russian: пикни́к (pikník) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuirm-chnuic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Serbo-Croatian: ѝзлет — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Serbo-Croatian: пѝкник — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Serbo-Croatian: ìzlet — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Serbo-Croatian: pìknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Slovak: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Slovene: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Spanish: jira — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Spanish: pícnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Sundanese: botram — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Sundanese: mayor — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Swahili: pikniki — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Swahili: mandari — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Swedish: picknick — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Tagalog: kura — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Tagalog: hira — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Thai: ปิกนิก (bpík-ník) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Turkish: piknik — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Ukrainian: пікні́к (pikník) — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Vietnamese: dã ngoại — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Vietnamese: píc-níc — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Welsh: picnic — a meal eaten outdoors
  • Arabic: مَهَمَّة سَهْلَة (mahamma sahla) — an easy or pleasant task
  • Finnish: huviretki — an easy or pleasant task
  • French: jeu d’enfant — an easy or pleasant task
  • German: Kinderspiel — an easy or pleasant task
  • Hungarian: nem leányálom — an easy or pleasant task
  • Indonesian: enteng — an easy or pleasant task
  • Indonesian: gampil — an easy or pleasant task
  • Indonesian: urusan kecil — an easy or pleasant task
  • Russian: прия́тное времяпрепровожде́ние (prijátnoje vremjapreprovoždénije) — an easy or pleasant task
Real reading context

picnic in complete knowledge articles