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potluck

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Whatever happens to be available usually when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pahtluhk

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɑtlək

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. originally CanadaUS

    Whatever happens to be available especially when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all

    “Having arrived unannounced we had to take potluck.”

  2. originally canadaus

    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.

  3. by extension

    Whatever is available in a particular situation.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To take part in a potluck, where each participant brings a meal to be shared by all.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Whatever happens to be available especially when offered to an unexpected guest or when brought by guests and shared by all

Used this way, potluck is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“Having arrived unannounced we had to take potluck.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use potluck

  • “Having arrived unannounced we had to take potluck.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Shared / whatever

potluck dinnerpotluck suppertake potluckpotluck mealpotluck lunch

Other combinations

church potluckmonthly potluckpotluck party

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.