noun

potluck

pot-LUHK

Potluck (noun) means a shared meal where each guest brings a dish to contribute. Example: “We're having a potluck for the office party — bring your favorite dish.”

noun

A shared meal where each guest brings a dish to contribute.

"We're having a potluck for the office party — bring your favorite dish."

"Everyone at the potluck brought something different, from salads to desserts."

Whatever happens to be available in a given situation, taken as it comes.

"We arrived late to the hotel and just had to take potluck with whatever room was left."

How to use potluck

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA meal where everyone brings a dish, or more generally, taking whatever's available.

Common pairings

potluck dinner take potluck office potluck

Word forms

potlucked past tense, potlucks plural, potlucks singular

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We're having a _____ for the office party — bring your favorite dish.

Etymology

From pot plus luck — originally referring to whatever food happened to be in the cooking pot for unexpected guests.

Frequently asked questions

What does “potluck” mean?

The word “potluck” means a shared meal where each guest brings a dish to contribute. In plain terms, a meal where everyone brings a dish, or more generally, taking whatever's available.

How do you pronounce “potluck”?

“Potluck” is pronounced pot-LUHK (/ˈpɑtˌlʌk/ in IPA).

How do you use “potluck” in a sentence?

Here is “potluck” used in a sentence: “We're having a potluck for the office party — bring your favorite dish.”

What part of speech is “potluck”?

“Potluck” is a noun.

How many meanings does “potluck” have?

“Potluck” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a shared meal where each guest brings a dish to contribute.