street food
Americannoun
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ready-to-eat food sold on the street or in a park, open-air market, or other outdoor public place.
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a particular food sold in an outdoor public place.
Etymology
Origin of street food
First recorded in 1860–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As rents rise and street-level spots vanish, street food culture perseveres.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
In Keelung, locals flocked to a fresh food market to buy fruit and vegetables, street food vendors secured their stands, and a temple covered and tied down an outdoor statue ahead of the storm.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Chaiiwala, which sells Indian street food and hot and iced drinks, sells around half a million cups of karak chai every month.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
In 2022 “our little scrappy Indian street food spot in the mountains of North Carolina,” as Mrs. Irani puts it, won a James Beard award for outstanding restaurant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
“Samosas are Pakistani street food, similar to empanadas.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
