What does "lunch" mean?
A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day.
Lunch
/lʌnt͡ʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day.
- Grammar: lunch is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: luncheon, alfresco meal, barbecue, board.
- Useful contrasts: breakfast, breakfasts, brunch.
- Usage evidence: I slept a little during lunch break because I was so tired.
How to use "lunch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lunch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lunch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lunch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lunch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lunch" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "luncheon" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lunch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. countable, uncountable
"We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner."
- 2 a midday meal wordnet
- 3 A break in play between the first and second sessions. countable, uncountable
- 4 Any small meal, especially one eaten at a social gathering. US, countable, uncountable
"After the funeral there was a lunch for those who didn't go to the cemetery."
- 5 A thin piece or hunk (of bread, meat, etc.) countable, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To eat lunch. intransitive
"I like to lunch in Italian restaurants."
- 2 take the midday meal wordnet
- 3 To treat to lunch. transitive
"We dined him, we lunched him, we were photographed in his company by flashlight."
- 4 provide a midday meal for wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I slept a little during lunch break because I was so tired."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lunch"?
Common synonyms include: luncheon, alfresco meal, barbecue, board, break bread with, breakfast.
How do you use "lunch" in a sentence?
I slept a little during lunch break because I was so tired.
How do you pronounce "lunch"?
Pronounced /lʌnt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Recorded since 1580 in the sense “piece, hunk”. The word luncheon with the same meaning is presumably an extension on the pattern of puncheon (“cask”) and truncheon (“cudgel”). But earliest found forms of luncheon include lunshin and lunching, which are equivalent to lunch + -ing, with the suffix -ing possibly later modified to imitate a French origin. In contrast, the more common sense “light meal” is first attested for luncheon in 1652 and for lunch in 1829, so in this sense the latter is probably a shortening of the former. Lunch is possibly a derivative of lump (as hunch is from hump. See hunch for more), or represents an alteration of nuncheon, from Middle English nonechenche (“light midday meal”) (see nuncheon) and altered by northern English dialect lunch (“hunk of bread or cheese”) (1590), which perhaps is from lump or from Spanish lonja (“a slice”, literally “loin”).