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lunch in

B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words

To eat your midday meal at home or at work instead of going to a restaurant.

Literal meaning: 'Lunch' used as a verb + 'in' = to have lunch inside. Transparent.

Meanings

1 B1 neutral

To eat the midday meal at home, at one's workplace, or in a familiar indoor setting rather than going to a restaurant.

"I decided to lunch in today to save money and finish my report."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Slightly formal or old-fashioned in tone; more common in British English. The opposite of 'lunch out.' Often heard in office or workplace contexts to describe eating at one's desk or in the staff room. Becoming less common as 'eat in' is used more broadly.

Commonly used with

today desk office home usually often

Forms

Base
lunch in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lunches in
he/she/it
Past simple
lunched in
yesterday
Past participle
lunched in
have + pp
-ing form
lunching in
continuous

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Synonyms

eat in stay in for lunch have lunch at home eat at one's desk

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