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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.

This is a patch you can install before lunch.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Veteran staff photographer Steve Mellon recalls seeing William sitting at lunch with his print crew, eating a cheese sandwich with tomato soup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The Bible had belonged to Cliff's father, who had written the family names inside its pages and would gather his children every Sunday after lunch to read a chapter aloud.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“I think ‘Faces of Death’ is inherently an extremely political object,” says Goldhaber, 34, talking about the post-Vietnam context of the original faux-doc during a recent lunch in a West Hollywood cafe.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

I could tell her about talking to Oliver, the incident with Rachel at lunch, Harper telling me not to come back to the invisible table....Lorren would be sympathetic.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows