food chain

American  

[food cheyn] / ˈfud ˌtʃeɪn /

noun

1. Ecology. a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

2. the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer.

3. a hierarchy ranked by status, importance, influence, etc..

   people who are high up on the political and media food chain.

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food chain British  

noun

1. ecology a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each species is the food of the next member of the chain

2. informal the hierarchy in an organization or society

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food chain Scientific  

/ fo̅o̅d /

1. The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community. A food chain begins with a producer, usually a green plant or alga that creates its own food through photosynthesis. In the typical predatory food chain, producers are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores) which are eaten by secondary consumers (carnivores), some of which may in turn be eaten by tertiary consumers (the top carnivore in the chain).

2. ◆ Many species of animals in an ecological community feed on both plants and animals and thus play multiple roles in the chain. Parasites feed on living tissues, generally without killing their hosts, and may themselves be hosts to smaller parasites. In addition, organisms that die without being eaten are consumed by detritivores, some of which serve as prey for other consumers. The complex system of interrelated food chains in an environment is known as a food web.

3. See more at trophic level

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food chain Cultural  

1. The series of steps by which energy is obtained, used, and transformed by living things. For example: sunlight helps grain to grow, the grain feeds cattle, and humans eat the cattle.

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Discover More

Harmful chemicals can become concentrated as they move up the food chain.

Etymology

Origin of food chain

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

As climate change alters the food chain in the Arctic, more and more gray whales are moving into San Francisco Bay in search of food, putting them in harm’s way.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Cava Group jumped 4.1% after the Mediterranean fast-casual food chain beat analysts’ expectations for first-quarter earnings and revenue.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Hook joins the New York company from Chicago-style food chain Portillo’s, where she had been finance chief since late 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

But for clubs lower down the food chain, that level of success can come at a cost; your best talent - managers included - become sought-after personnel for the more established.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

It is true that farms like Polyface are but a tiny speck com-pared to the industrial food chain.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan