picnic

UK: /ˈpɪknɪk/ US: /ˈpɪknɪk/ ,(pik′nik)

Inflections of 'picnic' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

picnics

v 3rd person singular

picnicking

v pres p

picnicked

v past

picnicked

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pic•nic /ˈpɪknɪk/   n., v., -nicked, -nick•ing. 
n. [countable]

1. a trip in which food is brought and a meal is shared in the open air.
2. the food eaten on such an excursion.
3. Informal Terms an enjoyable experience, task, etc.:
   [used with negative words or phrases] That three-year hitch in the Army was no picnic.

v. [no object]

4. to go on or take part in a picnic:
   We picnicked in that same park every summer.

pic•nick•er, n. 

[countable] The picnickers were fighting off the ants.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pic•nic  (pik′nik), n., v., -nicked, -nick•ing. 
n. 

1. an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.
2. the food eaten on such an excursion.
3. Also called pic′nic ham′, pic′nic shoul′der. a section of pork shoulder, usually boned, smoked, and weighing 4–6 pounds. Cf. daisy (def. 2).
4. Informal Terms an enjoyable experience or time, easy task, etc.:
   Being laid up in a hospital is no picnic.

v.i. 

5. to go on or take part in a picnic.

• ?
• French pique-nique, rhyming compound
• German Pic-nic (now Picknick)
• 1740–50

pic′nick•er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

picnic / ˈpɪknɪk/ noun

1. a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air
2. any informal meal eaten outside
3. (as modifier): a picnic lunch
4. a troublesome situation or experience
5. no picnic ⇒ a hard or disagreeable task

verb ( -nics, -nicking, -nicked)

1. (intransitive) to eat a picnic

Etymology: 18th Century: from French piquenique, of unknown origin

ˈpicnicker noun