dunch

D2U1N1C3H4
/dʌnt͡ʃ/

verb

To knock against; to hit, punch

Scrabble 11

Meanings

dunch1

verbdunch (third-person singular simple present dunches, present participle dunching or dunchin, simple past and past participle dunched)

present singular third person dunches · participle present dunching · participle present dunchin · participle past dunched · past dunched · alternative dunsh

  1. GeordieTo knock against; to hit, punch
  2. GeordieTo crash into; to bump into.
  3. ScotlandTo gore with the horns, as a bull.
  4. UKTo push, jog, or nudge, especially with the elbow.

dunch2

noundunch (plural dunches)

plural dunches

  1. dialectalA push; knock; bump.

    And just at the same time the tide caught the brig, and threw the wind out of her sails. She came round into the wind like a top, and the next moment struck the reef with such a dunch as threw us all flat upon the deck, and came near to shake Mr. Riach from his place upon the mast.

    1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC
  2. golfA fat hit from a claggy lie.

dunch3

noun
  1. informalrareA leisurely meal between lunch and dinner in the late afternoon or early evening (about 3-5 p.m.), usually instead of lunch or dinner.

    I have a lunchtime meeting tomorrow, so let's have dunch together instead.

    Synonyms: linner, lupper

Dunch4

proper nounDunch (plural Dunches)

plural Dunches

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA leisurely meal between lunch and dinner in the late afternoon or early evening (about 3-5 p.m.), usually instead of lunch or dinner.

Also see

Origin

dunch · verb

  1. Proto-Germanic*dangijaną“to bang, knock”
  2. Old Englishdenġan
  3. Middle Englishdengen
  4. Middle Englishdunchen
  5. Englishdunch

From Middle English dunchen, of uncertain origin. Possibly from the noun (see below); or of North Germanic origin, related to Old Swedish diunga (“to hit, knock”), dialectal Swedish dunka (“to beat”); or from Middle English dengen, from Old English denġan, denċġan (“to knock, ding”), from Proto-Germanic *dangijaną (“to bang, knock”). Compare English dinge.

Full word history & related roots →

dunch · noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*dunkiz
  2. Old English*dynċ
  3. Middle Englishdunche
  4. Englishdunch

From Middle English dunche, perhaps from Old English *dynċ, from Proto-Germanic *dunkiz. Compare Old Norse dykr, dynkr (“a crashing noise”), Danish dunk (“a blow”), Swedish dunk (“a thump, clap”), Norwegian dunk (“a knock, bump”).

Full word history & related roots →

dunch · noun

Blend of dinner + lunch, probably in imitation of brunch.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan berenar
  • berenarmeal between lunch and dinner
Italian merenda
  • merendameal between lunch and dinner
Persian عصرانه
  • عصرانه ('asrâne)meal between lunch and dinner
Polish obiadokolacja
  • obiadokolacjameal between lunch and dinner
Portuguese merenda
  • merendameal between lunch and dinner
Slovak olovrant
  • olovrantmeal between lunch and dinner
Spanish merienda
  • meriendameal between lunch and dinner

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dunch

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

dunch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dunch

MLA

“dunch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dunch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dunch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dunch.

Source: dunch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.