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

• junk-food
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of junk food

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

junk food

Football fans were shown a "constant bombardment" of advertisements promoting junk food and drinks during matches at the 2026 Fifa World Cup, according to a new study.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

But today, with our easy access to cheap, calorie-dense junk food and sedentary routines, those same adaptations that once helped us to survive can cause us a few issues.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

“If you’ve only fed them junk food and then you put some beautiful Michelin-star food in front of them, it’ll seem alien to them,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

"Maybe junk food is good," added Trump, who his known for his fondness for burgers, steak and Diet Coke.

From Barron's ● May 26, 2026

He took a bite of his brownie and grabbed a pack of Italian junk food - Fonzies - to round out his balanced breakfast.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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