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.
Juan Carlos Blain, the 41-year-old manager of several private groceries and fast food outlets in western Havana, said his company was treading water.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
She said unhealthier options now dominated "our supermarkets, corner shops and fast food outlets".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Videos and images showed buildings collapsing, including a clip of a Jollibee fast food restaurant reduced to rubble.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
It’s quite thinkable to eat fast food in a car in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Weekends consisted of sleep, Web surfing, shopping for random groceries and fast food, perhaps catching a part of a movie.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
In 2024, state law made it so that all eligible fast-food employees would receive a minimum wage of $20 an hour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
US fast-food chain Taco Bell is removing lettuce from its menu in some states after investigations found it could be linked to an outbreak of explosive diarrhoea caused by a parasite.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Minor Food is one of the biggest fast-food and casual dining chains in Asia-Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Cornell's research, meanwhile, found an 8% decline in spending at fast-food chains and coffee shops.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
They stopped at a fast-food place, where he ordered a hamburger.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
