lunch

American  

[luhnch] / lʌntʃ /

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.

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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.

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.

lunch British  

/ lʌntʃ /

noun

1. a meal eaten during the middle of the day

2. (among older people) mid-afternoon tea

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verb

1. (intr) to eat lunch

2. (tr) to provide or buy lunch for

lunch More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• luncher noun
• lunchless adjective
• prelunch adjective

Etymology

Origin of lunch

First recorded in 1585–95; short for luncheon

Example Sentences

None of the taste-testers ordered the Jalapeño Ranch—estimated at 1,185 calories, it was deemed too hefty for the office lunch hour.

From Barron's

None of the taste-testers ordered the Jalapeño Ranch—estimated at 1,185 calories, it was deemed too hefty for the office lunch hour.

From Barron's

After all, it’s called an illiquidity premium for a reason — there is no free lunch in financial markets.

From MarketWatch

But lately it’s used for routine tasks such as “l’m leaning in to finish payroll” or ‘I’m going to lean in and have lunch.”

From The Wall Street Journal

This has led to fears that companies in logistics and financial services could be reduced to skeleton crews as AI eats their lunch too.

From Barron's