4 N‑COUNT People who were mentally ill used to be called lunatics . [OLD-FASHIONED , OFFENSIVE ]
lu |na|tic asy|lum (lunatic asylums ) N‑COUNT A lunatic asylum was a place where mentally disturbed people used to be locked up. [OLD-FASHIONED , OFFENSIVE ]
lu |na|tic fri nge N‑SING If you refer to a group of people as the lunatic fringe , you mean that they are very extreme in their opinions or behaviour. □ …the lunatic fringe of Milanese fashion.
lunch ◆◆◇ /lʌ ntʃ/ (lunches , lunching , lunched )
1 N‑VAR Lunch is the meal that you have in the middle of the day. □ Shall we meet somewhere for lunch? □ He did not enjoy business lunches. □ [+ with ] If anyone wants me, I'm at lunch with a client.
2 VERB When you lunch , you have lunch, especially at a restaurant. [FORMAL ] □ [V adv/prep] Only the extremely rich could afford to lunch at the Mirabelle. □ [V ] Having not yet lunched, we went to the refreshment bar for ham sandwiches.
lu nch box (lunch boxes ) also lunchbox N‑COUNT A lunch box is a small container with a lid. You put food such as sandwiches in it to eat for lunch at work or at school.
lu nch break (lunch breaks ) also lunchbreak N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your lunch break is the period in the middle of the day when you stop work in order to have a meal.
lu nch coun|ter (lunch counters ) N‑COUNT A lunch counter is an informal café or a counter in a shop where people can buy and eat meals. [AM ]
lunch|eon /lʌ ntʃən/ (luncheons ) N‑COUNT A luncheon is a formal lunch, for example to celebrate an important event or to raise money for charity. □ [+ for ] Earlier this month, a luncheon for former U.N. staff was held in Vienna.
lunch|eon|ette /lʌntʃəne t/ (luncheonettes ) N‑COUNT A luncheonette is a small restaurant that serves light meals. [AM ]
lu nch|eon meat (luncheon meats )
1 N‑VAR Luncheon meat is meat that you eat in a sandwich or salad, and that is usually cold and either sliced or formed into rolls. [AM ]
2 N‑VAR Luncheon meat is a type of cooked meat that is often sold in tins. It is a mixture of pork and cereal. [BRIT ]
lu nch hour (lunch hours ) N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your lunch hour is the period in the middle of the day when you stop working, usually for one hour, in order to have a meal.
lunch|room /lʌ ntʃruːm/ (lunchrooms ) also lunch room N‑COUNT A lunchroom is the room in a school or company where you buy and eat your lunch. [AM ]
lunch|time /lʌ ntʃta I m/ (lunchtimes ) also lunch time N‑VAR Lunchtime is the period of the day when people have their lunch. □ Could we meet at lunchtime? □ …a lunchtime meeting.
lung /lʌ ŋ/ (lungs ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Your lungs are the two organs inside your chest which fill with air when you breathe in.
lunge /lʌ ndʒ/ (lunges , lunging , lunged )
1 VERB If you lunge in a particular direction, you move in that direction suddenly and clumsily. □ [V prep/adv] He lunged at me, grabbing me violently. □ [V prep/adv] I lunged forward to try to hit him. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Lunge is also a noun. □ [+ for ] The attacker knocked on their door and made a lunge for Wendy when she answered.
2 N‑COUNT Lunges are exercises that you do to strengthen your leg muscles. They involve stepping forward with a bent leg while keeping the other leg straight. □ I advised her to do lunges, press-ups and crunches for toning.
lung|ful /lʌ ŋfʊl/ (lungfuls ) N‑COUNT If someone takes a lungful of something such as fresh air or smoke, they breathe in deeply so that their lungs feel as if they are full of that thing. [WRITTEN ] □ [+ of ] I bobbed to the surface and gasped a lungful of air.
lurch /lɜː r tʃ/ (lurches , lurching , lurched )
1 VERB To lurch means to make a sudden movement, especially forwards, in an uncontrolled way. □ [V adv/prep] As the car sped over a pothole she lurched forward. □ [V adv/prep] Henry looked, stared, and lurched to his feet. [Also V ] ● N‑COUNT Lurch is also a noun. □ The car took a lurch forward but grounded in a deep rut.
2 VERB If you say that a person or organization lurches from one thing to another, you mean they move suddenly from one course of action or attitude to another in an uncontrolled way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V from n to n] The state government has lurched from one budget crisis to another. □ [V prep/adv] The first round of multilateral trade talks has lurched between hope and despair. ● N‑COUNT Lurch is also a noun. □ The property sector was another casualty of the lurch towards higher interest rates.
3 PHRASE If someone leaves you in the lurch , they go away or stop helping you at a very difficult time. [INFORMAL ] □ You wouldn't leave an old friend in the lurch, surely?
lure /ljʊə r , [AM ] lʊ r/ (lures , luring , lured )
1 VERB To lure someone means to trick them into a particular place or to trick them into doing something that they should not do. □ [V n prep/adv] He lured her to his home and shot her with his father's gun. □ [V n prep/adv] Supermarkets will try to lure customers back in with special offers.
2 N‑COUNT A lure is an object which is used to attract animals so that they can be caught.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A lure is an attractive quality that something has, or something that you find attractive. □ [+ to ] The excitement of hunting big game in Africa has been a lure to Europeans for 200 years. □ [+ of ] The lure of rural life is proving as strong as ever.