food chain

American  

[food cheyn] / ˈfud ˌtʃeɪn /

noun

1. Ecology. a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

2. the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer.

3. a hierarchy ranked by status, importance, influence, etc..

   people who are high up on the political and media food chain.

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food chain British  

noun

1. ecology a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each species is the food of the next member of the chain

2. informal the hierarchy in an organization or society

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food chain Scientific  

/ fo̅o̅d /

1. The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community. A food chain begins with a producer, usually a green plant or alga that creates its own food through photosynthesis. In the typical predatory food chain, producers are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores) which are eaten by secondary consumers (carnivores), some of which may in turn be eaten by tertiary consumers (the top carnivore in the chain).

2. ◆ Many species of animals in an ecological community feed on both plants and animals and thus play multiple roles in the chain. Parasites feed on living tissues, generally without killing their hosts, and may themselves be hosts to smaller parasites. In addition, organisms that die without being eaten are consumed by detritivores, some of which serve as prey for other consumers. The complex system of interrelated food chains in an environment is known as a food web.

3. See more at trophic level

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food chain Cultural  

1. The series of steps by which energy is obtained, used, and transformed by living things. For example: sunlight helps grain to grow, the grain feeds cattle, and humans eat the cattle.

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Discover More

Harmful chemicals can become concentrated as they move up the food chain.

Etymology

Origin of food chain

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

MOA Foodtech is working to put those byproducts back into the human food chain.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Cava Group jumped 4.7% after the Mediterranean fast-casual food chain beat analysts’ expectations for first-quarter earnings and revenue.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

By keeping the population of mid-level predators in check, they help protect resources lower down on the food chain — allowing vegetation, streamside habitat and other wildlife species to thrive.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

Hook joins the New York company from Chicago-style food chain Portillo’s, where she had been finance chief since late 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

When it came time to eat my industrial food chain meal, since it was impossible to follow Naylor’s corn or steer 534 directly to my plate, I had a lot of choices.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan