fast-food

adjective

ˈfas(t)-ˌfüd 

1

: of, relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly

a fast-food restaurant

2

: designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance

fast-food TV programming

fast food noun

Examples of fast-food in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then there is Magdalena, Stacey’s homeless mother who lives on the street behind a fast-food chicken chain. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

For millions of Americans, grabbing breakfast or coffee from a fast-food drive-thru is an ordinary part of the morning routine — but not long ago, ordering a meal without leaving the car was a novelty. — Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

On September 26, the fast-food chain will open Open House, a new restaurant in McKinney, Texas, designed to bring its latest menu ideas, flavors, and experiences together in one location. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Research from the Journal of Marketing Research shows that households with at least one GLP-1 user cut spending at fast-food chains, coffee shops and other restaurants by 8% within the first six months of starting the drugs. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fast-food

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

Kids Definition

fast-food

adjective

ˌfas(t)-ˌfüd

: specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly

a fast-food restaurant