come for lunch

USAGE SUMMARY

"Come for lunch" is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it whenever you would like to invite someone to have a meal with you. For example, you could write in an email: "Hey, why don't you come for lunch tomorrow?".

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

36 human-written examples

Come for lunch.

The New Yorker

People come for lunch at 1, stay till 7.

The New York Times - Magazine

After all, most temporary taxes come for lunch and stay for dinner.

The Guardian - Business

Greeting a literary scholar who has come for lunch, she asks: "Was Proust truly a homosexual?

The New York Times

Rain, which was meant to come for lunch, turned up for tea instead.

The Guardian - Sport

"We have about six couples that come for lunch every week and they all have the same trout".

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

24 human-written examples

On Saturday, friends came for lunch.

The New York Times

The neighborhood working crowd comes for lunch.

The New York Times

He's coming for lunch at my house on Sunday.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

President Bush is coming for lunch on Friday.

The New York Times

We walked to school together, and she sometimes came for lunch.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When inviting someone to "come for lunch", specify the time and location to avoid ambiguity. For example, "Come for lunch at noon at The Italian Place."

Common error

While "come for lunch" is acceptable in many situations, avoid overusing it in highly formal business communications. Instead, use more professional alternatives like "I would like to invite you to lunch" to maintain a polished tone.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "come for lunch" functions as an invitation. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is used to invite someone to have a meal, specifically lunch. It's a common way to extend an invitation for a midday meal.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "come for lunch" is a common and grammatically sound phrase used to invite someone to have lunch. As Ludwig AI suggests, it's a practical way to extend an invitation for a midday meal, predominantly found in news and media contexts. While the phrase maintains a neutral to informal register, it's important to consider formality when using it in professional settings. Remember to provide specific details about time and location when extending the invitation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Join us for lunch

Offers a more inclusive and friendly tone, suitable for group invitations.

Have lunch with me

Focuses on the personal interaction and companionship during the meal.

Let's do lunch

An informal and often tentative suggestion to have lunch together.

Be my lunch guest

A more formal and honorific way to invite someone for lunch.

Lunch is on me

Emphasizes that the inviter will pay for the lunch, adding a generous aspect.

Care to have lunch?

A polite and slightly old-fashioned way of extending a lunch invitation.

I invite you to lunch

A formal and direct invitation, suitable for professional settings.

Meet me for lunch

Implies a prearranged meeting at a specific location for lunch.

Shall we have lunch?

A tentative and polite inquiry about having lunch together.

Lunch appointment

A business-oriented alternative suggesting a more formal lunch arrangement.

FAQs

How can I politely invite someone to "come for lunch"?

You can use phrases like "Would you like to "join me for lunch"?" or "I was wondering if you'd be free to "have lunch with me" one day?" to soften the invitation.

What's a more formal alternative to "come for lunch" in a business setting?

In a business context, consider using phrases like "I would like to invite you to lunch" or "I propose we meet for lunch" to maintain a professional tone.

Is it appropriate to use "come for lunch" in written communication?

Yes, "come for lunch" is perfectly acceptable in emails and messages to friends and colleagues. However, for very formal letters, a more elaborate invitation might be preferable.

What's the difference between "come for lunch" and "come to lunch"?

The phrases are largely interchangeable, but "come for lunch" is slightly more common and idiomatic. "Come to lunch" is also correct but may sound slightly more direct or literal.