Lunch
The verb 'to eat lunch'. Use this for the action of eating.
Means 'the meal' or 'the food', but in Mexico and Spain, it specifically refers to the main midday meal.
An anglicism ('lunch') for a light meal or a packed lunch, common in Mexico, Peru, and Central America.
Lunch is at one in the afternoon.
Do you want to eat lunch with me?
In Mexico, the main meal (lunch) is at 2 p.m.
I prepare the packed lunch for my kids.
'El almuerzo' is the most common and widely understood word for the main midday meal.
'La comida' is the primary term for the main, heavy midday meal. 'El almuerzo' often refers to a lighter, mid-morning snack or brunch. 'El lonche' is also very common for a packed lunch.
A major difference! 'El almuerzo' is a mid-morning snack eaten around 11 a.m. The main midday meal, eaten around 2-3 p.m., is always called 'la comida'.
'El almuerzo' is standard. You will also hear 'el corrientazo' which refers to a popular, inexpensive set-menu lunch.
'El almuerzo' is the standard term for the midday meal.
Using 'lunchar' as a verb. — English speakers sometimes invent the verb 'lunchar'. The correct verb is 'almorzar'. Say 'Vamos a almorzar', not 'Vamos a lunchar'.
Confusing the noun and the verb. — 'El almuerzo' is the noun (the lunch), and 'almorzar' is the verb (to eat lunch). Say 'Yo almuerzo' (I eat lunch), not 'Yo el almuerzo'.
Using 'almuerzo' for the main meal in Spain. — In Spain, asking for 'el almuerzo' at 2 p.m. means you're asking for a mid-morning snack. The correct word for the main midday meal there is 'la comida'.