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TV dinner
noun
: a quick-frozen packaged dinner (as of meat, potatoes, and a vegetable) that requires only heating before it is served
Examples of TV dinner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So it’s not processed food, a TV dinner that’s brought in and just reheated and given to kids.
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Miles Bryan, Vox, 23 Jan. 2025
Hank was in the early running, but actually, eating a TV dinner in front of Elf beats drunk-driving to Ted’s motel room.
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Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024
Prosecutors, however, presented photographs of the scene that showed nothing was disturbed or out of place in the area around Askew’s body, including a TV dinner tray and a Christmas tree.
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Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
By the end of 1954, Swanson had sold 10 million frozen turkey meals, and the TV dinner industry was born.
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House Beautiful, 18 Aug. 2023
In the living room, a fireplace burns alongside a one-of-a-kind couch plucked straight from the original Barbie Dreamhouse, with wooden TV dinner trays that pop out seamlessly.
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Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2023
Using the back gate of my Toyota like a TV dinner tray, the sandwich, chips, soda and cannoli fit spaciously.
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Danny Palumbo, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2023
Fried chicken, the centerpiece of Eaton’s nostalgic take on the frozen TV dinner ($19), is a perfect example.
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Sharyn Jackson, Star Tribune, 2 Oct. 2020
But translating this into a lavish shopping experience sounds about as natural as turning a TV dinner into five-star dining.
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Drew Hutchinson, Bloomberg.com, 3 Aug. 2020
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Word History
Etymology
from its saving the television viewer from having to interrupt viewing to prepare and serve a meal
First Known Use
1954, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near TV dinner
Cite this Entry
“TV dinner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/TV%20dinner. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
TV dinner
nounˌtē-ˌvē-
: a quick-frozen packaged dinner that requires only heating before it is served
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