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

Bidders will be vying for the chance to attend the charity External link lunch, which will take place in Omaha on June 24 with Buffett and the Currys attending.

From Barron's

Today, she’d slipped me a piece of that cornbread for lunch.

From Literature

And I know Mr. Ellis will let me write the test tomorrow over lunch if I miss it today, so the test isn’t an issue.

From Literature

Brown himself recently met Fisher brothers Bob and Bill for lunch at his usual seafood shack, Sam’s Grill, to discuss the state of the city.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Instead, his manner throughout the evaluation, back then, as well as earlier in the year, was almost like we were having lunch at his country club. There was no sense of alarm or distress."

From BBC