From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlunchlunch1 /lʌntʃ/ ●●● S1 W2 noun [countable, uncountable] 1 DFa meal eaten in the middle of the day What’s for lunch? I've just had lunch with John.at lunch I’m afraid he’s at lunch until two.over lunch A dozen senators met over lunch with the Chinese ambassador.GRAMMAR: Patterns with lunchfor lunch• You eat something for lunch: I had chicken for lunch. ✗Don’t say: I had chicken on lunch. | I had chicken at lunch.at lunch• You use at lunch to talk about something that happens while you are eating lunch: We can talk about it at lunch.• You also use at lunch to say that someone has gone somewhere else to eat lunch: I went to see her, but she was at lunch.2 → there’s no (such thing as a) free lunch3 → out to lunchCOLLOCATIONSverbshave lunchHave you had lunch?eat lunchWhat time do you usually eat lunch?have something for lunchI usually have sandwiches for lunch.take somebody (out) to lunch (=pay for someone else's lunch when you go to a restaurant)He took her out for lunch at a local pub.go out for/to lunch (=have lunch at a restaurant)I don't often go out to lunch, as it's expensive.come for/to lunch (=come to someone's house for lunch)Can you come to lunch tomorrow?break for lunch (=stop doing something in order to eat lunch)Why don't we break for lunch about 1 o'clock?make lunchYou clear the table while I make lunch.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + luncha light lunch (=a small lunch)After a light lunch, he would take a nap each afternoon.a packed lunch British English, a bag/sack lunch American English (=food such as sandwiches that you take to school etc)Most of the children had brought packed lunches.a business/working lunch (=a lunch during which you also do business)She was having a business lunch with a customer.a school lunch (=a lunch provided by a school)Free school lunches are provided for the poorest children.Sunday lunch British English (=a hot lunch eaten on Sunday)Mum always cooks a chicken for Sunday lunch.lunch + NOUNa lunch break (=a time when you stop working to eat lunch)We took a half hour lunch break.the lunch hour (=the time when people stop working to eat lunch)I try to go out for a walk during my lunch hour.a lunch date (=when you meet someone for lunch)I've got a lunch date.
Examples from the Corpus
lunch• At a lunch in his honour, friends and former rivals gathered to pay him tribute.• The muscle work comes after breakfast, then again after lunch and a nap.• See you after lunch.• After lunch he fared better returning a 76, taking only 35 shots on the inward nine.• They were each allowed a glass of wine at lunch, and from my experience, smoking was compulsory.• We had an early lunch and spent the afternoon shopping.• Everybody else in the village was presumably either still eating lunch or else dozing.• At work we are allowed one hour for lunch.• Shall we have lunch before we go out?• We always have roast beef for Sunday lunch.• The next week, we had a full house at the lunch.• The lunch, at which numbers will be limited, will be open to all members and will feature an after-lunch speaker.lunchlunch2 verb [intransitive] formal DFto eat lunchlunch with I will be lunching with a client.lunch on I lunched on bread and olives.lunch at/in We lunched at Maxim’s.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lunch• You ask him to lunch at a posh restaurant.• We often lunched together after her weekly consultation.• He had lunched with the Wellands, hoping afterward to carry off May for a walk iii the Park.• Shelley promises to lunch with them once she has got her things from the car.lunch at/in• They ate lunch in a shady restaurant and then Leary went back to his flower-hung villa.• She returned from lunch at ten to two in a happier frame of mind.• Arrangements are under way for the hosting of a lunch at the 1992 Autumn meeting in Dublin.• The tour includes lunch at the Grand Hotel and guests take a carriage ride on Mackinac Island.• The following morning, those friends rang to offer us Christmas lunch at their place with her sister and brother-in-law.From Longman Business Dictionarylunchlunch /lʌntʃ/ noun [countable]1a meal eaten in the middle of the dayfacilities for conferences and private business lunches (=when business people go to lunch to discuss things or entertain customers)He has working lunches (=when you discuss business and eat) with his team to develop their approach.It is important that the office is manned during thelunch hour (=the time when people eat lunch).2there’s no such thing as a free lunch informal used to say that something may seem free, but that you have to pay for it in the end3three-martini lunch informal a lunch that is supposed to be a working lunch, but where people enjoy themselves too much to do any workOrigin lunch1 (1800-1900) luncheon 