Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

lunchtime

American  
[luhnch-tahym] / ˈlʌntʃˌtaɪm /

noun

  • lunchtimes
    plural
  1. a period set aside for eating lunch or the period of an hour or so, beginning roughly at noon, during which lunch is commonly eaten.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of lunchtime

First recorded in 1855–60; lunch + time

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:

"Ask what made you smile today? Or who did you play with at lunchtime?"

From BBC Aug. 30, 2026

It’s lunchtime at Fountain Grains & Greens in East Hollywood, a counter-service restaurant where customers increasingly prefer their rice and vegetable bowls piled high with hunks of chicken or steak.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 22, 2026

Nate Oester and Anna Li, from Port Townsend, Wash., were browsing a stand selling dish towels and tableware in London’s Borough Market at lunchtime on a recent afternoon.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 10, 2026

The controversy, she alleges, prompted ITV to remove her on repeated occasions from the line-up of its long-running lunchtime programme.

From BBC Aug. 6, 2026

One lunchtime when the bell sounded to return to work, Mrs. Floor did not appear at the bench beside me.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The report says up to five students would go to see Blackmore during breaks and lunchtimes at the school, and one pupil said the teacher saw them as friends, not students.

From BBC Apr. 6, 2026

She said the school had found that some parents did not know about some of the support available around free school meals and lunchtimes.

From BBC Feb. 16, 2026

The education secretary wrote to heads to make it clear that all schools should be phone-free for the entire day, including breaktimes and lunchtimes.

From BBC Feb. 3, 2026

Counter to most of the men on the series, Snook’s husband, actor Dave Lawson, was able to take on parenting responsibilities, bringing their tot to set so they could play during lunchtimes.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 6, 2025

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had taken to haunting Professor Trelawney’s tower room at lunchtimes, and always returned with annoyingly superior looks on their faces, as though they knew things the others didn’t.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training