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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
"Whoever you are your shopping bill has gone up," June Divine, who runs a weekly luncheon where people can eat at cost price, said.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
“For us, and I mean all of us in the SDNY, the North Star is what is best for New York families,” Clayton said at a Police Athletic League luncheon last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
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
Granny was planning her birthday luncheon in the city.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
Dick Cheney, once House minority whip, held weekly policy luncheons with Senate Republicans in the Capitol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 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
As “A Complete Unknown” continues to premiere globally, Chalamet has forgone the stuffy Oscar luncheons and industry events, where actors chat with select reporters and mingle with Academy members and their fellow cinematic elite.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2025
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
Because he wanted to catch people unawares, he didn’t call the luncheons margarine-testing luncheons.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
