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• fast food
  fast food

  noun

  food, as hamburgers, pizza, or fried chicken, that is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive restaurants for eating there or elsewhere.
• fast-food
  fast-food

  adjective

  of or specializing in fast food.

fast food

¹ American  

noun

1. food, as hamburgers, pizza, or fried chicken, that is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive restaurants for eating there or elsewhere.

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fast-food ² American  

[fast-food, fahst-] / ˈfæstˈfud, ˈfɑst- /

adjective

1. of or specializing in fast food.

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fast food British  

noun

1. food that requires little preparation before being served

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adjective

1. (of a restaurant, café, etc) serving such food

Usage

​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.

Etymology

Origin of fast food¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Origin of fast-food²

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fast food fast-food

So she started incorporating the way she ate in Leiden in the U.S., such as eating less fast food, smaller quantities and changing her grocery shopping habits, like buying whole rather than pre-chopped broccoli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Wendy’s made a name for itself by promoting an elevated form of fast food, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

The fast food giant further said consumers would "not inevitably be able to easily recognise that Big Mac designated a food product" while Supermac's "designated a restaurant chain".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

But cosplayers can also embody everything from fast food brands, internet browsers and memes to intangible ideas like gravity or hunger, while also experimenting with gender.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

I notice an instant improvement in Dad’s mood at the mention of fast food.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Anaheim may have more fast-food employees because of Disneyland.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The photographs were almost absurdly theatrical: silver serving pieces and candelabras, the gilt-and-cream grandeur of the White House, and, arrayed beneath it all, mountains of branded fast-food packaging.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

And amid the ongoing fast-food discount wars, analysts note that Wendy’s value menu has perhaps gotten too complex.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

Restaurant Brands International’s profit rose in the second quarter, driven by a standout performance at Burger King U.S. that bucked a broader trend of slowing fast-food demand across other major chains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Tearing into a fast-food hamburger—big, brown, and greasy.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs