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

Washing them releases microplastics into the water, which eventually ends up back in our food chain. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2026

The running back position has gained steam around the NFL in recent years, and not just at the top of the food chain with guys such as Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry and Buffalo Bills’ James Cook. —Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026

The bank upgraded the fast food chain to buy from neutral. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026

But over the last few months, the French take-out fast food chain Tasty Crousty, which sells chicken tenders served over rice, has gone viral, dominating social media to become one of the most popular food destinations across the country. —Vivian Song, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026

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