1
a
: the regular meal available to a guest for whom no special preparations have been made
b
: a communal meal to which people bring food to share
—usually used attributively
a potluck supper
2
: whatever is offered or available in given circumstances or at a given time
Examples of potluck in a Sentence
He organized a neighborhood potluck for next Saturday.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bring the dish that everyone loves to your next potluck or picnic: potato salad!
—
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2024
May 18, 2024 Attend a barbecue, church potluck or summer dinner in the small city of Cleveland in eastern Tennessee, and somewhere on the table, there will be a dish of hot slaw.
—Emily Cochrane Audra Melton, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Bring them on the road as a backup in case that one dish at the potluck could use a pick-me-up, pack a mini in your beach bag, or snag a few early stocking stuffers for spice lovers in your life.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 May 2024
There was a speech from a post-office official; a Million Mile plaque honoring her 30 years of service driving without an accident; and a potluck with co-workers.
—Victor Llorente Charley Locke, New York Times, 11 May 2024
Three of my testers had used the apps before the potluck and will continue to do so.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
In the South, they're often called dressed eggs and are popular additions to church potlucks.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2024
Heading back to the other side of Hudson, Retail Track tried a little potluck with a store called The Vinyl Room in Beacon, N.Y.
—Ed Christman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
The company’s founder, Zhenghua Yang, gets nostalgic for prepandemic days when people hung out at the office over potlucks and Ping-Pong — but also notices that his employees now seem to have a healthier balance between family and professional life.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2024
May 18, 2024 Attend a barbecue, church potluck or summer dinner in the small city of Cleveland in eastern Tennessee, and somewhere on the table, there will be a dish of hot slaw.
—Emily Cochrane Audra Melton, New York Times, 18 May 2024
Bring them on the road as a backup in case that one dish at the potluck could use a pick-me-up, pack a mini in your beach bag, or snag a few early stocking stuffers for spice lovers in your life.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 17 May 2024
There was a speech from a post-office official; a Million Mile plaque honoring her 30 years of service driving without an accident; and a potluck with co-workers.
—Victor Llorente Charley Locke, New York Times, 11 May 2024
Three of my testers had used the apps before the potluck and will continue to do so.
—Patricia Marx, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
In the South, they're often called dressed eggs and are popular additions to church potlucks.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2024
Heading back to the other side of Hudson, Retail Track tried a little potluck with a store called The Vinyl Room in Beacon, N.Y.
—Ed Christman, Billboard, 23 Apr. 2024
The company’s founder, Zhenghua Yang, gets nostalgic for prepandemic days when people hung out at the office over potlucks and Ping-Pong — but also notices that his employees now seem to have a healthier balance between family and professional life.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'potluck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Potluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potluck. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
potluck
noun
pot·luck
ˈpät-ˈlək 
1
a
: a regular meal for which no special preparations have been made
b
: a meal to which people bring food to share
2
: whatever is offered or available in given circumstances or at a given time
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