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food chain

noun

Synonyms of food chainnext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Shares of the food chain are down 2% early this morning. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2025 Some of the metals that settled in the estuary could enter the food chain in this wildlife hot spot, often populated with sea otters, harbor seals, pelicans and herons. Ivano W. Aiello, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025 Once ingested by fish, birds, or seals, these chemicals can bio-accumulate and travel up the food chain, including to humans. Kara Fox, CNN Money, 29 Nov. 2025 Atmospheric pollutants poisoned the marine-mammal food chain in Scoresby Sound, from fish to seals to bears to people. Ben Taub, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for food chain

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of food chain was in 1920

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Cite this Entry

“Food chain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20chain. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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