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• fast food
  fast food

  noun

  food, as hamburgers, pizza, or fried chicken, that is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive restaurants for eating there or elsewhere.
• fast-food
  fast-food

  adjective

  of or specializing in fast food.

fast food

¹ American  

noun

1. food, as hamburgers, pizza, or fried chicken, that is prepared in quantity by a standardized method and can be dispensed quickly at inexpensive restaurants for eating there or elsewhere.

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fast-food ² American  

[fast-food, fahst-] / ˈfæstˈfud, ˈfɑst- /

adjective

1. of or specializing in fast food.

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fast food British  

noun

1. food that requires little preparation before being served

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adjective

1. (of a restaurant, café, etc) serving such food

Usage

​What does fast food mean?​ Fast food is food quickly prepared and served, often at chain restaurants and typically associated with less expensive and less nutritious items like hamburgers, french fries, and soft drinks.

Etymology

Origin of fast food¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Origin of fast-food²

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fast food fast-food

The launch of the Big Crispy sandwich came with a marketing campaign intended to take fast food to “food court,” with a pop-up event in New York featuring a courthouse facade.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

He said the chain spent two years researching what Americans looked for when they chose fast food, and how pizza could compete for more of those meals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

But cosplayers can also embody everything from fast food brands, internet browsers and memes to intangible ideas like gravity or hunger, while also experimenting with gender.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Taco Bell was sitting solidly in the sweet spot for fast food in troubled times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Because what’s the point, when I live in an era of fast food drive-throughs and instant noodle cups?”

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Anaheim may have more fast-food employees because of Disneyland.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The photographs were almost absurdly theatrical: silver serving pieces and candelabras, the gilt-and-cream grandeur of the White House, and, arrayed beneath it all, mountains of branded fast-food packaging.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

And amid the ongoing fast-food discount wars, analysts note that Wendy’s value menu has perhaps gotten too complex.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026

The fast-food chain said it remains committed to a value-oriented menu that has resonated in recent years amid inflation-weary consumers in its home market and overseas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Never, ever go inside a fast-food restaurant barefoot or in a bathing suit.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina