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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

food foods

Previous research has associated ultra-processed food consumption with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

A wave of apparent cyberattacks on supermarket freezers and refrigerators has disrupted food stores across Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

The largest is Kellanova, which focuses on snacks, cereals, noodles and other food products like Eggo, Pringles and Pop-Tarts sold globally.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Scientists could then examine whether changing their diets affects how their brains respond to food images and whether any differences are associated with reduced weight gain.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

The two of them can talk for hours about food and the origins of different family recipes.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

The proposed research would provide children who regularly consume ultra-processed foods with more minimally processed alternatives.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

Although the results do not demonstrate that these foods directly alter brain function, they provide a possible biological explanation for an association that has been observed in previous research.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

Participants followed this eating plan for eight weeks, while a comparison group consumed a similar diet in which the fruits were replaced with carbohydrate-based foods containing equivalent calories.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

Its foods business—encompassing ingredients, sugar, agriculture and grocery—has traditionally been less favored by investors than the retail business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Their baskets and shopping carts were filled with all kinds of foods to make ice cream with.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

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Related Words

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

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