food

American  

[food] / fud /

noun

1. any nourishing substance that is eaten, drunk, or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy, promote growth, etc.

   Synonyms:

   menu, diet, meat, sustenance, bread, aliment, nutriment

2. more or less solid nourishment, as distinguished from liquids.

3. a particular kind of solid nourishment.

   a breakfast food; dog food.

4. whatever supplies nourishment to organisms.

   plant food.

5. anything serving for consumption or use.

   food for thought.

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food British  

/ fuːd /

noun

1. any substance containing nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, that can be ingested by a living organism and metabolized into energy and body tissue

2. nourishment in more or less solid form as opposed to liquid form

   food and drink

3. anything that provides mental nourishment or stimulus

   food for thought

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Related Words

Food, fare, provisions, ration(s) all refer to nutriment. Food is the general word: Breakfast foods have become very popular. Many animals prefer grass as food. Fare refers to the whole range of foods that may nourish a person or animal: an extensive bill of fare; The fare of some animals is limited in range. Provisions is applied to a store or stock of necessary things, especially food, prepared beforehand: provisions for a journey. Ration implies an allotment or allowance of provisions: a daily ration for each man of a company. Rations often means food in general: to be on short rations.

Other Word Forms

• foodless adjective
• foodlessness noun
• nonfood noun

Etymology

Origin of food

First recorded before 1000; Middle English fode, Old English fōda; compare Old English fēdan, Gothic fōdjan feed; fodder ( def. ), foster

Example Sentences

They can still recall prepping food from the early morning hours to late at night.

From Los Angeles Times

China’s market regulator reposted a column urging an end to the food delivery price war, signaling potential intervention.

From Barron's

JD.com and Alibaba stocks rise after Chinese regulators signaled a coming end to the food delivery price war.

From Barron's

They realize Mr. da Silva’s peddling more than just delicious food, great coffee and fun merch.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its stitched-together scenes—frat pledge party, dining hall food fight, toga party, horse in Dean Wormer’s office, homecoming parade—were individually hilarious and held together only by the individual characters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bread
• cooking
• cuisine
• drink
• fare
• feed
• foodstuff
• meal
• meat
• snack