What does fast food mean? Fast food is food quickly prepared and served, often at chain restaurants and typically associated with less expensive and less nutritious items like hamburgers, french fries, and soft drinks.
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70
An Americanism dating back to 1965–70
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
US officials on Friday pinned the source of a diarrhea-causing foodborne parasite as shredded iceberg lettuce used by the fast food chain Taco Bell.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Juan Carlos Blain, the 41-year-old manager of several private groceries and fast food outlets in western Havana, said his company was treading water.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The party also wants an annual "national action day" to help "rekindle civic pride" and more action to tackle littering connected to fast food outlets.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
From the packaging to the taste, fast food is designed to be eaten quickly.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
In 2024, state law made it so that all eligible fast-food employees would receive a minimum wage of $20 an hour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Taco Bell has beat the fast-food sector’s performance at least since 2019, the firm said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
After leaving a club, the men crossed paths with the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, at a fast-food restaurant and they all went to the beach.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Cornell's research, meanwhile, found an 8% decline in spending at fast-food chains and coffee shops.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The fast-food meal seems cheap, but as we have seen, the costs are actually enormous.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
