lunch

1 of 2

noun

1
: a usually light meal
especially : one taken in the middle of the day
2
: the food prepared for a lunch

lunch

2 of 2

verb

lunched; lunching; lunches

intransitive verb

: to eat lunch

transitive verb

: to treat to lunch
luncher noun
Phrases
out to lunch
slang : out of touch with reality

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
Head to a bustling Ottenheimer Market food hall for lunch, then see the city's artsy side at the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden or Argenta Arts District. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 The José Andrés Group will develop and run one high-end evening dining establishment and a more casual restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the executive said. Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Smoak To-Go, open for lunch on those same days, will serve barbecue plates, sandwiches and homemade sides like mustard potato salad, queso corn and apple kale slaw. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Folsom’s Big Apple Bagels is at 711 East Bidwell St. According to Yelp, the bagel shop is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 Beginner’s Luck is open for breakfast and lunch and dinner service is coming soon. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Since last fall, the restaurant has been serving traditional Irish fare plus American and Cal-Mex favorites daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Henry and 3 of his friends order 7 pizzas for lunch. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 For a ladies' lunch, bridal tea, or baby shower, our Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake is a winner. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Related content: Meet the real ladies who lunch behind the Feud: Capote Vs. Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 Feb. 2024 Throughout the fall, a rare white raven breakfasted at a McDonald’s and lunched at a Wendy’s in Anchorage, Alaska. Ash Adams, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2024 Just hours before signing day for the Class of 1982, UCLA coach Terry Donahue was spotted lunching at the Boll Weevil restaurant 3 miles from the SDSU campus. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2023 Then, in Episode 3, Percy and his quest-mates, Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), end up lunching with Medusa (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Selome Hailu, Variety, 27 Dec. 2023 The two leaders met at a northern California country estate, holding talks, lunching and taking a garden stroll designed to show that while the two countries are global competitors, they’re not locked in a winner-take-all faceoff. Christopher Bodeen, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 Ladies who lunch circa 1926 in the loggia of Mizner’s Cloister Inn. Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, 25 July 2023 The leaders will lunch with Blinken and the White House's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, after a day of joint and individual meetings. USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 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. Benjamin Mullin, New York Times, 29 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lunch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably short for luncheon

First Known Use

Noun

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1811, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of lunch was in 1800

Dictionary Entries Near lunch

Cite this Entry

“Lunch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunch. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lunch

1 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on lunch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!