lunch

1 of 2

noun

ˈlənch 

1

: a usually light meal

especially : one taken in the middle of the day

2

: the food prepared for a lunch

see also:

eat someone's lunch out to lunch

lunch

2 of 2

verb

lunched; lunching; lunches

intransitive verb

: to eat lunch

transitive verb

: to treat to lunch

luncher noun

Examples of lunch in a Sentence

Noun

I like to eat a healthy lunch every day.

We took a picnic lunch to the park.

They've brought their own lunches with them.

I had just a sandwich for lunch.

I bought her some lunch.

Verb

She often lunches in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The location opened Monday, welcoming a consistent rush of customers into the space, even as the afternoon waned and crept into the neither-lunch-nor-dinner hours. — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

By early afternoon, the scene shifts across the shaded wooden deck, as guests slip in from the jetty barefoot and still damp from the sea, for long, languid lunches that roll into dusk. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Sep. 2026

Verb

Go boutique shopping on Fox Street before lunching at Living Room, a rooftop cafe with city views that are super lekker (cool, in Afrikaans). — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026

After Republican senators lunched with Vice President JD Vance, the contours of a deal to finish the Senate’s summer business started becoming clearer. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably short for luncheon

First Known Use

Noun

1783, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1811, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing lunch

• bag lunch
• box lunch
• do dinner/lunch
• eat/have someone or something for lunch
• eat someone's lunch
• eat someone's or something's lunch
• free lunch
• lose one's lunch
• lunch box
• lunch break
• lunch-bucket
• lunch counter
• lunch hour
• lunch meat
• out to lunch
• packed lunch
• ploughman's lunch
• pre-lunch
• there is no free lunch
• there is no such thing as a free lunch
• working/business lunch

Rhymes for lunch

• brunch
• bunch
• chinch
• crunch
• hunch
• punch
• keypunch

Kids Definition

lunch

1 of 2 noun

ˈlənch 

1

: a light meal

especially : one eaten in the middle of the day

2

: the food prepared for a lunch

lunch

2 of 2 verb

: to eat or treat to lunch

luncher noun