1 B1 neutral
To eat the midday meal at a restaurant or public eating place rather than at home or at work.
"We usually lunch out on Fridays as a team treat."
inseparable
lunch out
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
To eat lunch at a restaurant, café, or public eating establishment rather than at home or at one's desk.
In plain English
To go out to a restaurant or café to have your midday meal.
What does "lunch out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 formal
To take a client, colleague, or business associate out to lunch at a restaurant.
"She was lunching out a potential investor at the new French bistro downtown."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
'Lunch' as a verb + 'out' = to have lunch outside of one's usual indoor space. Transparent.
Actually means
To go out to a restaurant or café to have your midday meal.
Usage tip
Slightly dated or formal in style; more common in British English, particularly in business contexts ('lunching out with clients'). More natural alternatives in everyday speech include 'go out for lunch' or 'eat out.' The verb 'lunch' itself is more formal than 'eat.'
Words that pair with "lunch out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
client colleague restaurant frequently today business
How to conjugate "lunch out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
lunch out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lunches out
he/she/it
Past simple
lunched out
yesterday
Past participle
lunched out
have + pp
-ing form
lunching out
continuous
Hear "lunch out" in the wild
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