What does "potluck" mean?
A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available.
Potluck
/ˌpɒtˈlʌk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available.
- Grammar: potluck is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: ad hoc, chance-based, communal, community meal.
- Useful contrasts: catered meal, deterministic, fixed.
- Usage evidence: Tom and Mary are having a potluck.
How to use "potluck"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "potluck" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "potluck" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "potluck" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "potluck" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "potluck" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ad hoc" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "potluck", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A meal, especially one offered to a guest, consisting of whatever food is available. also, attributive, countable, dated, uncountable
"Here are some leftover beans and meat; we can make a good potluck stew from them."
- 2 whatever happens to be available especially when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all wordnet
- 3 Whatever is available in a particular situation. also, attributive, broadly, countable, uncountable
"He at once resolved to accompany me to that island, ship aboard the same vessel, get into the same watch, the same boat, the same mess with me, in short to share my every hap; with both my hands in his, boldly dip into the Potluck of both worlds."
- 4 A shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought (sometimes without prior arrangement); a potlatch; also, a dish of food brought to such a meal. US, also, attributive, countable, uncountable
"Last evening, at the Free Trade Club, a dinner was given by Hon. Robert R. Roosevelt to a large number of his friends. Though invitations had been issued for a week previous, the feast was decidedly of an impromptu character as far the viands went. […] Cards of invitation of an amusing character were issued, on which the menu was indicated, with the names of the improvised cooks who were to concoct gumbo, lobster cutlets, plumb pudding, various salads, and coffee. […] Course followed course in the most tumultuous way. Culinary inspirations and cookery nocturnes of all flavors and tastes crowded one on another. Anything like system was discarded, and this was thought likely to destroy the artistic effects of this pot-luck picnic."
- 5 The last draft or portion of an alcoholic beverage in a pot or other drinking vessel. also, attributive, countable, obsolete, uncountable
"We had but euen pot luck, a little to moyſten our lips, and no more."
Verb
- 1 To take part in a potluck, where each participant brings a meal to be shared by all. also, attributive, intransitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tom and Mary are having a potluck."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "potluck"?
Common synonyms include: ad hoc, chance-based, communal, community meal, contributed, covered-dish meal.
How do you use "potluck" in a sentence?
Tom and Mary are having a potluck.
How do you pronounce "potluck"?
Pronounced /ˌpɒtˈlʌk/.
Etymology
From pot + luck. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sense 3 (“a shared meal consisting of whatever guests have brought”) is unlikely to have been influenced by potlatch even though it has the same meaning.