finger food

noun

plural finger foods

: a food that is meant to be picked up with the fingers and eaten

Finger foods like apple wedges and strawberries dipped in yogurt make an excellent snack for both parent and child.

—The Knoxville (Tennessee) News-Sentinel

Mashed potatoes are not a finger food.

—Erma Bombeck

Examples of finger food in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To accommodate any dietary restrictions, encourage guests to contribute their favorite finger foods. —Boutayna Chokrane, Vogue, 4 June 2025

Instead of serving up a five-course meal, make a spread of apps and finger foods for guests to munch on while painting. —Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025

That’s a long day of dealing with e-tickets and finger food and scatter market pricing trend chit-chat for media biz pros. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 May 2025

These are the perfect bite-size party finger food or breakfast bite. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 3 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for finger food

• altitude
• amplitude
• aptitude
• attitude
• barbecued
• certitude
• desuetude
• devalued
• finitude
• fortitude
• gratitude
• interlude

Kids Definition

finger food

noun

: a food (as a carrot stick) that is meant to be picked up with the fingers and eaten