lunch

[luhnch]

noun

1. a light midday meal between breakfast and dinner; luncheon.

2. any light meal or snack.

3. a restaurant or lunchroom.

   Let's eat at the dairy lunch.

verb (used without object)

1. to eat lunch.

   We lunched quite late today.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide lunch for.

   They lunched us in regal fashion.

lunch

/ lʌntʃ /

noun

1. a meal eaten during the middle of the day

2. (among older people) mid-afternoon tea

verb

1. (intr) to eat lunch

2. (tr) to provide or buy lunch for

Other Word Forms

• luncher noun
• lunchless adjective
• prelunch adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunch¹

First recorded in 1585–95; short for luncheon

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunch¹

C16: probably short form of _luncheon

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out to lunch, not paying attention or tending to business; negligent.

   You must have been out to lunch when you wrote that weird report.

see eat someone alive (someone's lunch); free lunch; lose one's lunch; out to (lunch).

Example Sentences

“If Scotland qualify for the World Cup it would be a bigger deal,” said Alex Young, a local roofer, as he popped out from work for some lunch earlier this month.

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By the time we broke for lunch, around two hours after we started, we had already covered nearly 1,000 feet and filled 350 boxes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It has been a rough stretch for the makers of healthy—but fast—lunch bowls.

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Clune Construction, a Chicago-based general contractor, said it is trying to ensure workers have access to the same creature comforts as white-collar workers, including heated and air-conditioned break tents and perks like periodic free lunches.

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The two sides canceled a lunch and an afternoon session where they were meant to check through their other issues, like the exchange of prisoners.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal