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Synonyms

convenience food

American  

noun

  1. any packaged food, dish, or meal that can be prepared quickly and easily, as by thawing or heating.


convenience food British  

noun

  1. food that needs little preparation, especially food that has been pre-prepared and preserved for long-term storage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of convenience food

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It can be convenience food or a small luxury, a weeknight staple or a minor event.

From Salon Apr. 26, 2026

The growing popularity of convenience food in the developing world is partly responsible for the growth in obesity rates amongst children, according to Unicef.

From BBC Sep. 9, 2025

I really don’t like cooking and like convenience food so my dietitian recommended making small changes to my diet and slowly working up to my goals.

From Slate Oct. 12, 2023

There was less processed, convenience food and you had to produce meals from real ingredients.

From The Guardian Sep. 27, 2018

Then came a fat man and woman with their two small boys who were also fat, which probably meant they all ate too much convenience food and needed to improve their diet.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

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