lunch
luhnch
Lunch (noun) means a meal eaten around the middle of the day. Example: “We usually grab lunch at the café near the office.”
noun
1
A meal eaten around the middle of the day.
"We usually grab lunch at the café near the office."
"She skipped lunch to finish the report on time."
"Lunch at school is usually served at about half past twelve."
verb
1
To eat lunch.
"They lunched together every Friday to catch up on office gossip."
"We often lunch in the park when the weather is warm enough."
"After the meeting, the directors lunched at a small restaurant nearby."
How to use lunch
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe meal you eat around midday.
Common pairings
have lunch
pack a lunch
lunch break
out to lunch
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Word forms
- Plural
- lunches
- Third person singular
- lunches
- Past tense
- lunched
Fill the gap
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We usually grab _____ at the café near the office.
Etymology
First recorded in the 1580s meaning simply "a hunk of food," lunch likely comes from lump, in the same way hunch comes from hump. The word later merged in meaning with luncheon, and by the 1800s lunch had become the everyday term for a midday meal.
Class of 1580
lunch joined the language around 1580.
See the full Class of 1580 →
Synonyms
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Rhymes for lunch
See all rhymes for lunch →Frequently asked questions
What does “lunch” mean?
The word “lunch” means a meal eaten around the middle of the day. In plain terms, the meal you eat around midday.
How do you pronounce “lunch”?
“Lunch” is pronounced luhnch (/lʌnt͡ʃ/ in IPA).
How do you use “lunch” in a sentence?
Here is “lunch” used in a sentence: “We usually grab lunch at the café near the office.”
What part of speech is “lunch”?
Depending on how it is used, “lunch” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “lunch” come from?
The word “lunch” dates back to around 1580.
Is “lunch” a common word?
“Lunch” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “lunch” have?
“Lunch” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a meal eaten around the middle of the day.
What is the difference between lunch and dinner?
Lunch is the meal eaten around midday, usually lighter and quicker. Dinner is the main meal of the day and, for most people, is eaten in the evening. In some British and regional usage, though, 'dinner' means the midday meal while the evening meal is called 'tea' or 'supper,' which can cause confusion.
What is the difference between lunch and brunch?
Brunch is a combined breakfast and lunch eaten in the late morning, typically as a relaxed weekend meal. Lunch is a distinct midday meal that follows an earlier breakfast. Brunch blends the foods of both, mixing eggs and pastries with heartier dishes, and usually replaces the two meals rather than adding to them.
What time is lunch usually eaten?
Lunch is generally eaten between about noon and 2 p.m., in the middle of the working or school day. The exact timing varies by country and culture: some places take a short midday break, while others enjoy a long, leisurely lunch. The word itself simply marks a meal around the middle of the day.
What is a typical example of lunch?
A typical lunch is lighter than dinner and easy to eat during a break — a sandwich, a bowl of soup, a salad, or leftovers from the night before. In many cultures it can also be a full cooked meal. What defines it is the timing around midday rather than any particular dish.
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