food web

American  

[food web] / ˈfud ˌwɛb /

noun

Ecology.

food webs plural

1. a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.

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food web British  

noun

1. a combination of food chains that integrate to form a network

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food web Scientific  

1. See under food chain

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• food webs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of food web

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

"Nudibranchs are one of the key players in the marine food web," the research team explained.

From Science Daily • May 27, 2026

As predators eat those infected animals, the parasites move up the food web.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

Instead, they argue that complex food web dynamics require careful analysis and strong evidence.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Microplastics, along with ultra-tiny nanoplastics, can kill or severely sicken marine life before entering the food web and ultimately ending up on our plates.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena wanted to understand how these chemical defenses move through the forest food web.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026