Eat someone's lunch meaning

Eat someone's lunch definitions

When someone "eats someone's lunch," it means that they are outperforming or dominating their competition in a particular area. This phrase is often used in competitive environments, such as business or sports, to describe a situation where one party is significantly more successful than others.

Origin of the Phrase

The origin of the phrase "eat someone's lunch" is not entirely clear, but it likely stems from the idea of someone taking away another person's food, leaving them hungry and defeated. In a competitive context, it signifies one party gaining a significant advantage over another, often to the point of rendering them powerless.

Usage in Business

In the business world, "eating someone's lunch" can refer to a company gaining market share at the expense of its competitors. This could be through innovative products, better customer service, or more effective marketing strategies. Companies that fail to keep up with the competition risk having their lunch eaten, leading to a decline in sales and profitability.

Implications of Being Outperformed

When a company or individual is said to have their lunch eaten, it can have significant implications for their reputation and future success. Being outperformed by competitors can damage relationships with customers, suppliers, and investors, making it challenging to bounce back from a period of underperformance.

Overall, the phrase "eat someone's lunch" captures the competitive nature of various endeavors, highlighting the importance of staying ahead of the competition to avoid being left hungry and defeated.

Eat someone's lunch Examples

1. I heard he tried to eat someone's lunch by stealing their idea and presenting it as his own.
2. She always manages to eat someone's lunch by outperforming them in sales every quarter.
3. The new company across the street is starting to eat someone's lunch by offering lower prices for the same products.
4. The bully thought he could eat someone's lunch by intimidating his classmates, but they stood up to him together.
5. The rival team is determined to eat someone's lunch at the championship game next week.
6. The political candidate's scandal could potentially eat someone's lunch in the upcoming election.
7. The competitor's innovative technology threatens to eat someone's lunch in the market.
8. The new restaurant in town is hoping to eat someone's lunch by offering unique dishes not found elsewhere.
9. The ambitious employee is ready to eat someone's lunch and climb the corporate ladder quickly.
10. As online shopping becomes more popular, traditional brick-and-mortar stores fear e-commerce will eat someone's lunch.

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