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.
Chicken tenders, buttered noodles, the multi-billion dollar industries of American fast food and ultra-processed snack foods have created a category that didn’t necessarily need to exist.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026
“It’s fast food or it’s packing boxes,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
On a bright Tehran spring day, Sanaei Ghaznavi street, with its mix of shops selling groceries and household goods alongside fast food and flowers, seems like an everyday place.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Workers have urged city lawmakers to pass the Fast Food Fair Work Ordinance, which would establish paid, full-day training on workers’ rights and expand paid leave for fast food workers.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
She worries the drive will be too tiring for him, that he will eat too much fast food on the way and not be hungry for dinner.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
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.
