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
1 Americannoun
fast-food
2
American
[fast-food, fahst-]
/ ˈfæstˈfud, ˈfɑst- /
adjective
fast food
British
noun
adjective
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
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:
Despite outperforming other fast food chains and posting impressive same-store sales, the Mexican-inspired chain Taco Bell has taken a hit after being linked to Cyclospora.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
DIY store B&Q and the fast food chain Five Guys are among hundreds of UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Less than three weeks later, Americans began experimenting with another way fast food might carry meaning.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Slate’s Steffi Cao set out to uncover just how the chain became such a phenomenon—and what its rise reveals about consumer desire, brand loyalty, and the future of American fast food.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Eric took out the paper plates they used on the rare occasions they didn’t get fast food, but Jesse suddenly balked.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
By the time federal agencies were still publicly trying to identify the source of the outbreak, the fast-food chain had already started taking food off its menus.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
That’s the strategy behind the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A’s “cellphone coops.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
A decade ago, McDonald’s was an early mover among U.S. fast-food chains investing in self-service kiosks, digital menu boards and app ordering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The state fast-food union has argued that local and state protections are crucial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
That time, he asked so politely that she let him buy her a burrito from a fast-food place in the mall.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
