junk food

American  

noun

1. food, as potato chips or candy, that is high in calories but of little nutritional value.

2. anything that is attractive and diverting but of negligible substance.

   the junk food offered by daytime television.

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junk food British  

noun

1. food that is low in nutritional value, often highly processed or ready-prepared, and eaten instead of or in addition to well-balanced meals

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junk food Idioms  

1. Prepackaged snack food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value; also, anything attractive but negligible in value. For example, Nell loves potato chips and other junk food, or When I'm sick in bed I often resort to TV soap operas and similar junk food. [c. 1970]

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• junk-food
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of junk food

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75

Example Sentences

"But this study has shown that not only are they doing it for those reasons, but also as a result of eating too much junk food, which is something that is quite novel."

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Read more: The U.S. is about to define what junk food is.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Everything from diabetes to schizophrenia, he claims, is caused by Americans being junk food junkies.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

She believes lifestyles have changed over the last few decades, adding that children don't exercise as much and "it's all junk food now".

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

She came home from the store with all kinds of junk food I could take.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson