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

But their first act was promising, and a lunch with Kallman in New York further reassured the composer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

This felt particularly insulting because I really, really love sandwiches—not merely as lunch, but as a form.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

She also said Greggs had no price rises planned after its breakfast, lunch and "big" deals went up in May, following multiple hikes last year.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Gilliam once took Baker to eat lunch at Negro League legend Cool Papa Bell’s home in St. Louis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

It does scare some of the new personal support workers though, which I’m betting is why his lunch dishes haven’t been cleared away yet.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

His informal getup, a T-shirt and shorts, contrasts with the elegant environment primed for business lunches and ostentatious dinners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 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

The school had acknowledged to the interscholastic organization in May what it presented as minor missteps in a rapidly growing program—free lunches and Uber rides for players.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

We didn't spend every moment together; we didn’t even spend all our lunches together.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

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

The two spacecraft, lunched on a single rocket, separated in space.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 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

During the trip, Mr. Musk also lunched with Bernard Arnault, the founder of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury company and a major advertiser.

From New York Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

I knew the other clerks and young bond-salesmen by their first names and lunched with them in dark crowded restaurants on little pig sausages and mashed potatoes and coffee.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

Hours before lunching with Rendon in Lynwood, I had breakfast up the road with Hector De La Torre in his hometown of South Gate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

Soon she would be gone, rattling alone in the wagon-lit without me, and he and I would be together in the dining-room of the hotel, lunching at the same table, planning the future.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

lunch

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Related Words