Skip to main content
picnic spread

picnic spread

2.1
A selection of food like sandwiches and fruit laid out to eat outdoors
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪknɪk sprɛd/
translation icon : comida de picnic
  • The family laid out a beautiful picnic spread on the grass, complete with sandwiches, fruits, and drinks.

Examples

  • She prepared a delicious picnic spread with sandwiches, fruit, and lemonade.

  • We enjoyed a lovely picnic spread by the lake.

  • Ants quickly discovered the picnic spread, marching across the blanket in search of crumbs.

  • We set out our picnic spread under the shade of a large oak tree.

  • The picnic spread included sandwiches, fruits, and pastries.

  • As they settled on the blanket, they admired the picnic spread filled with fresh salads and pastries.

  • After hiking for hours, they enjoyed the picnic spread full of tasty snacks under the shade of a tree.

Synonyms

spread
vspicnic spread
4 3.3

Fully opened and stretched out over an area

is used only for food laid out for eating outdoors

How Large

feast
162 1.9
buffet
85 2.3
picnic spread
2.1
snack
471 1.0

Surface Forms

picnic spread singular

Morphology

picnic + spread

Both constituents contribute directly to the meaning: 'picnic' (an outdoor meal) + 'spread' (a display/arrangement of dishes) yields an assortment of food laid out for a picnic. This noun–noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun picnic spread comes from the words picnic and spread. Imagine a blanket with plates, sandwiches and fruit laid out so everyone can help themselves: that laid-out food is a picnic spread, which is why the phrase means 'an assortment of food arranged and laid out for a picnic'.