luncheon
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of luncheon
1570–80; dissimilated variant of nuncheon (now dial.), Middle English none ( s ) chench noon drink, equivalent to none noon + schench, Old English scenc a drink, cup, akin to Old English scencan to pour out, give drink, cognate with Dutch, German schenken
Explanation
A luncheon is lunch, but more formal. You might be served watercress sandwiches and fruit salad at a book club luncheon, while plain old lunch might be burgers and fries at the diner. The word luncheon makes its first appearance in English in the late 1500s, in phrases like "a luncheon of bread and cheese." Originally it meant "a thick piece, a hunk" — like a big chunk of bread slathered with cheese. The word may have come from the Spanish lonja, "slice." By the early 19th century, luncheon had taken the formal route, and its abbreviated form, lunch, came to mean the more casual version of the midday meal.
Vocabulary lists containing luncheon
List 9
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List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Kim later hosted Xi and their wives for a luncheon before accompanying the Chinese leader to the airport for his departure.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
The latest event — billed as a conference and gala luncheon with Trump as the keynote speaker — is scheduled to take place Saturday at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
At the December luncheon in Omaha, the staffers’ other questions carried lower stakes; one asked if the arrival of Abel, a hockey-loving Canadian, would mean better ice rinks in the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
"It's anxiety inducing to watch the actual announcements. I've done it before," she told the BBC at the annual Academy Awards luncheon.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
After the interviews is the luncheon, and after that is when contestants are allowed to set up their dressing room spaces.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Dick Cheney, once House minority whip, held weekly policy luncheons with Senate Republicans in the Capitol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Glitzy Los Angeles luncheons and star-studded parties are as much about hob-nobbing with Academy members as they are keeping films part of the larger conversation in the weeks before and during voting.
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2026
For up-and-coming filmmakers, an Oscar nomination -- and the attendant glitz and glamour of luncheons rubbing shoulders with megastars like Timothee Chalamet and Steven Spielberg -- is confirmation that persistence pays off.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
After relocating to Washington, Mrs Trump started taking on first lady duties, such as hosting luncheons and state dinners for visiting world leaders.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
They got together regularly for luncheons and to discuss issues of the day.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
