junk food

American  

noun

1. food, as potato chips or candy, that is high in calories but of little nutritional value.

2. anything that is attractive and diverting but of negligible substance.

   the junk food offered by daytime television.

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junk food British  

noun

1. food that is low in nutritional value, often highly processed or ready-prepared, and eaten instead of or in addition to well-balanced meals

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junk food Idioms  

1. Prepackaged snack food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value; also, anything attractive but negligible in value. For example, Nell loves potato chips and other junk food, or When I'm sick in bed I often resort to TV soap operas and similar junk food. [c. 1970]

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Other Word Forms

• junk-food
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of junk food

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75

Example Sentences

"Humans evolved to seek out and store energy-dense fats and sugars to survive periods of scarcity, leading us to crave high-calorie junk food," he added.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

So, yes, junk food is even junkier than previously thought.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Health screenings, weight-loss meds and better-for-you beverages will take center stage in Super Bowl commercials Sunday, commanding a spotlight once dominated by beer and junk food.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

"By restricting adverts for junk food before 9pm and banning paid adverts online, we can remove excessive exposure to unhealthy foods," health minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

I did my best to keep junk food away from these people, but they covered up a lot of their eating habits.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan