food chain

noun

1

: an arrangement of the organisms of an ecological community according to the order of predation in which each uses the next usually lower member as a food source

2

: a hierarchy based on power or importance

at the top of the corporate food chain

Examples of food chain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The buzziest beauty companies looked to grocery shelves and food chains for inspiration this year. —Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025

Right now, convenience stores, liquor stores, bars and fast food chains line most of East Lancaseter. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2025

Through pollination, insects enable the reproduction of flowering plants, including many that form the base of food chains or are agriculturally important to humans. —Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

Mahomes, meanwhile, is the co-owner of Whataburger franchise KMO Burger, which brought his favorite Texas fast food chain to the metro. —Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for food chain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

food chain

noun

: a series of organisms in which each uses the next usually lower member of the series as a food source