potluck
noun
What potluck means
A meal where each guest brings a dish to share.
We’re having a potluck on Friday. Bring a dish!
She made a salad for the office potluck.
Test yourself
Five questions about potluck
-
Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does potluck mean?
At a potluck the host does not cook all the food. Every guest makes or buys one dish and brings it, and everybody shares.
-
Question 2 of 5Situation
For the office party on Friday evening, nobody cooks a big meal. Instead, each person brings one homemade dish for everyone to share. It is a…
When every guest brings a dish and everyone shares the food, the meal is a potluck. A housewarming celebrates a new home, and brunch is a late-morning meal.
-
Question 3 of 5Gap
Our neighbours are organising a ___ in the park, so I’m making a big pasta salad to bring.
Everyone brings a dish they made to share, which is what happens at a potluck. A housewarming is held in a new home, not in a park.
-
Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which phrase is closest in meaning to potluck?
At a bring-and-share meal each guest brings food for everyone, just like at a potluck. A set menu is chosen by a restaurant, and a packed lunch is food for one person.
-
Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses potluck correctly?
At a potluck each guest brings a dish, and you bring something to an event, not in it. A potluck is not food you order, and the host does not cook everything.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Potluck in a sentence
5 more examples of potluck in everyday situations.
- At work
The team potluck is next Friday, so sign up for a dish.
- With friends
Let’s do a potluck instead of eating out, and everyone brings something.
- A message
Potluck at my place Saturday at seven, bring a dish to share.
- In the community
Our neighborhood holds a potluck dinner in the park every summer.
- As an adjective
We had a potluck lunch to welcome the new neighbors.
How to use potluck
At a potluck, the host does not cook everything; each guest brings a dish. It is common in the US and Canada. A similar British phrase is a bring-and-share lunch.
Say what you plan to bring, so nobody ends up with five desserts.
Forms
- potlucksplural
- potluckadjective (a potluck dinner)
- pot luckolder spelling
Patterns
- have / host a potluck
- bring something to a potluck
- a potluck dinner / lunch
Common mistakes with potluck
-
NotWe are having a potluck, so I am cooking all the food myself.
SayWe are having a potluck, so everyone is bringing a dish.
At a potluck each guest brings some food to share, so one person does not cook everything.
Potluck or buffet or dinner party?
- potluck or buffet
- At a buffet, food is laid out and guests serve themselves, but the host or a restaurant provides it. At a potluck, each guest brings one dish.
- potluck or dinner party
- At a dinner party, the host usually cooks the whole meal. At a potluck, the cooking is shared among the guests.
Potluck is a C1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Potluck word family and collocations
The words that go with potluck, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- a potluck dinner
- bring a dish to a potluck
- an office potluck
- potluck party
- host a potluck
Word family
- potluck (noun, adjective)
Similar words
- bring-and-share meal
Questions about potluck
What should I bring to a potluck?
Bring one dish that is easy to share, such as a salad, a main dish, a side or a dessert. Ask the host what others are bringing so there is a good mix.
What does “take potluck” mean?
Take potluck is an older phrase that means to accept whatever is available, especially food, without a choice: “Come over and take potluck with us.”
Yesterday’s word
Do you still remember fracture?
One question about the word from 18 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
-
What does fracture mean?
A fracture is when a bone breaks or cracks, for example after a bad fall. It is the medical word for a broken bone.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
More home words
-
B1
afford
To have enough money or time to buy or do something. -
C1
appliance
A machine for use in the home, such as a washing machine, fridge or kettle. -
B1
flavour
How a food or drink tastes, for example sweet, salty or smoky. -
B2
routine
The things you do regularly in the same order every day or week. -
C1
snooze
To sleep lightly for a short time, or to press the snooze button on an alarm to get a few more minutes of sleep. -
B2
bargain
Something you buy for less than its normal price.