food

American  

[food] / fud /

noun

foods plural

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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• foodlessness
  noun
• nonfood
  noun
• foodless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• foods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of food

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

Explanation

Food is anything that you can eat and digest. Your body needs food to grow and live. Some people love pizza, others love Thai food, and many can't get enough fruits and vegetables. Everything served at a restaurant is some kind of food — you eat it, digest it, and poop it out. Just because you can chew and swallow something doesn't make it food — try eating a crayon. To be food, it has to have nutritional value. Along with water and shelter, food is something you need to survive.

Example Sentences

They’re the base of the aquatic food chain, fed on by herbivores of all shapes and sizes, including shrimp and juvenile fish, which in turn feed organisms higher up the food chain.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026

Stavridis' main message is to prioritise food, and if you do think you are deficient in a certain nutrient, consult a doctor, as you shouldn't assume a supplement will fix it.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

The company wanted to ensure food and service quality, along with having enough managers who measure up to its standards, said Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

More than half of the applicants had some work experience on their résumés, including jobs in food service, other internships or being a student-athlete.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 19, 2026

Over the course of her subsequent visits, she secretly smuggled food, medicine, money, and letters into the camp—not just for her brother, but for other prisoners too —under threat of death.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

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