comfort food

American  

[kuhm-fert food] / ˈkʌm fərt ˌfud /

noun

1. simple, home-style food that brings comforting thoughts of home or childhood.

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comfort food British  

noun

1. food that is enjoyable to eat and makes the eater feel better emotionally

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Etymology

Origin of comfort food

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comfort food

Besides being a "comfort food" after a hard shift at the front, the snacks also make sure the firefighters have "more strength", she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Another Midwestern casserole praised by more than one reader was the Hot Dish, Minnesota’s official comfort food with no official recipe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

If I’m in the cooking mood, I love making comfort food like chicken and rice with cabbage and mac and cheese.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

If vegetables feel like an obligation, tuck them into lemony beans, dense spoon salads, roasted carrots with yogurt or a produce-packed pasta that eats like comfort food.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

I guess needing comfort food is a family trait, because all I want is my go-to food—Frosted Flakes.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold