Definitions

lunch

[luhnch] / lʌntʃ /

NOUN

midday meal

Synonyms

STRONG

luncheon

WEAK

high tea snack tea

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for lunch?

The word lunch originally comes from a shortening of luncheon, which was once used to mean the same thing but now more specifically refers to a formal lunch held in connection with a meeting or other special occasion. Lunch is the midday meal, commonly eaten around noon (though later in some places). The time at which you eat lunch is called lunchtime. A late lunch is one eaten later than usual. Lunch isn’t always defined by the time it’s eaten, though. In some places, a midday meal is called dinner when it’s the main meal of the day. A light lunch is one that’s not too heavy or filling. A hot lunch is one that consists of hot foods, as opposed to cold food, like cold sandwiches. A packaged lunch provided at an event is often called a box lunch (or a boxed lunch). A lunch that you pack for yourself is often called a brown-bag lunch. The term bag lunch (or bagged lunch) can refer to one that’s provided or one that you packed yourself. The period allotted to eat lunch during a workday is called a lunch break or the lunch hour. In school, this is often called the lunch period. A business meeting conducted over lunch can be called a business lunch, a lunch meeting, or a power lunch. According to popular wisdom, there is no such thing as a free lunch. To do lunch means to meet someone for lunch. This is often called a lunch date. Brunch is a meal that’s like a combination of breakfast and lunch, typically eaten between breakfast time and lunchtime. A midmorning break for a snack—eaten after breakfast but before lunch—can be called elevenses (in reference to being eaten around 11 a.m.). In the U.K., the term high tea refers to a late afternoon or early evening meal similar to a light supper. Lunch can also be a verb, though this is quite formal and is much less commonly used. To lunch means to eat lunch, or to eat something specific for lunch, as in We lunched on sandwiches. More specifically, it can mean to engage in lunch as an activity, as in First we’ll visit the museum, then we’ll lunch, then we’ll see a show.

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:

lunch lunches lunched lunching

A massive star has been torn apart and gradually consumed by a black hole in a spectacular event that scientists compared to "preparing a snack for lunch."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

During the pandemic, some employees would spent their lunch breaks conversing with the chatbots for fun, Zinger said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

USA Today published a photo earlier this year of a sailor’s mostly empty lunch tray, which included a few chunks of boiled carrot and processed meat of an indeterminate nature.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Dyer’s co-worker Bell Hill told Hawaii News Now that Dyer was having lunch when the attack occurred.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

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 "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Noticing a need for affordable meals, Palacios and fellow USC student Josiah Herfurth spent this past semester hosting $10-per-person lunches at their college apartments, dubbing the offering Cafe 10:31.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

But there are no free lunches in finance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Her world looks and operates like ours, and that means there are no free lunches.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

The reversal follows criticism from teachers, nutritionists and parents who argued that removing eggs from school lunches could deprive children from poor families a key source of protein.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

She made their lunches and had supper ready for them when they returned from picking strawberries at the end of the day.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

They never divorced and lunched together almost daily.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2025

On our second date, we lunched at a Japanese restaurant, where he asked about my values and dreams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025

In the statement Monday noting Rubiales’ resignation, after Ceferin had lunched with the women delegates, there was praise but not words of solidarity toward the Spanish players or women’s soccer in general.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

He lunched with Vice President Henry Wallace in Washington and attended the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945.

From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023

I expected the room to be empty, nobody lunched generally before one o’clock.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

The two leaders ended up getting on well, even lunching together at times, despite belonging to different camps, said a senior U.S. defense official.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Munir accompanied Sharif during a visit to Washington in June, lunching with Trump.

From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026

A walkway runs along the length of it, passing by a giant dinosaur skeleton, a beach volleyball pitch and dozens of Googlers lunching under the hazy November sun.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

When he returns to Mar-a-Lago in the afternoon, members lunching on the patio often stand and applaud.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024

No doubt he was lunching early because he hoped to avoid us at one o’clock.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

lunch

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

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