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

The roof, Raabe said, is resting on the 600-foot-long, 50-foot-tall racks that hold the 85 million pounds of food that are burning and spoiling inside, posing a danger to anyone who’d go in.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

But early in the year, core inflation excluding food and energy prices started to percolate, and the war with Iran has seemed to bring inflation to a boil.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Now her work comes to television, starring Jennifer Garner as Hollis Shaw, a food personality who hosts a getaway with friends from different stages of her life after her husband dies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Fire offered many advantages, including warmth, protection from predators, light after dark, and eventually the ability to cook food.

From Science Daily • Jun. 24, 2026

She fixes herself a plate of food and places it in front of her.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Related Words

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