junk food

noun

1

: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional content

2

: something that is appealing or enjoyable but of little or no real value

video junk food

Examples of junk food in a Sentence

worrying about kids eating too much junk food

eating too many junk foods

Recent Examples on the Web

The junk food is so pervasive that its consumption made up almost 20 percent of the time that the monkeys spent eating. —Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026

Kathy Bates lost 100 pounds over roughly seven years through walking, cutting junk food and learning to listen to her body. —Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2026

While the video is ostensibly about a quirky apple snack True whips up for her mom, the real showstopper is True’s surprisingly strong opinions on junk food. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

Texas will become the first state in the country to block certain junk food purchases with SNAP benefits starting April 1. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for junk food

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• elude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude

Kids Definition

junk food

noun

: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value