food web

American  

[food web] / ˈfud ˌwɛb /

noun

Ecology.

• food webs
  plural

1. a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.

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food web British  

noun

1. a combination of food chains that integrate to form a network

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food web Scientific  

1. See under food chain

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• food webs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of food web

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

food web

These chemical markers can reveal where an animal has been feeding within a food web and provide a broader view of long-term diet than simply examining recently eaten prey.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

They help maintain the balance of woodland habitats by influencing soil health, insect populations and the wider food web.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Reavie usually studies algae in the Great Lakes, where they make up the base of the freshwater food web, supporting an ecosystem that in turn supports a $5 billion fishing economy.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

These fossils come from the Morrison Formation* in the United States and were used to reconstruct a detailed food web, showing how plants, herbivores, and carnivores were linked through feeding relationships.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026

Microplastics, along with ultra-tiny nanoplastics, can kill or severely sicken marine life before entering the food web and ultimately ending up on our plates.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026