food chain

noun

Definition of food chain

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

National French Fry Day is Friday, and in honor of the occasion, several fast-food chains are offering free fries to customers. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Where to get free fries on National French Fry Day," 12 July 2018 Best known for its chicken sandwiches, America's favorite fast-food chain has featured cows in its advertising for the last 23 years. — Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, "Chick-fil-A freebie! Dressing up like a cow Tuesday gets you free chicken," 9 July 2018 Najem’s love for burgers dates to his childhood, when famous fast-food chains like Indiana’s Burger Chef were popping up all over America. — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, "This Indianapolis burger restaurant keeps winning best burger awards," 28 June 2018 More recently, fast-food chains have been taking small steps toward automation, especially in ordering, but also in the more complicated process of making food. — Lauren Smiley, WIRED, "The Mission to Build the Ultimate Burger Bot," 21 June 2018 With Sacramento-area temperatures expected to reach the upper 90s on the first day of summer, one fast-food chain with a pair of regional restaurants is handing out free milkshakes. — Benjy Egel, sacbee, "This fast-food chain is giving out free milkshakes to celebrate summer solstice on Thursday," 20 June 2018 The fast-food chain says the drink is not suitable for children under age 4 due to a potential choking hazard. — David Pan, ajc, "Taco Bell introduces its latest watermelon freeze with candy 'seeds'," 17 June 2018 Several fast-food chains have either asked workers to sign noncompetes or prohibited their franchisees from hiring workers away from other franchisees. — Alan S. Blinder, WSJ, "What to Do When the Labor Market Stops Working for Workers," 11 June 2018 These will be elite, high-paying jobs at the top of the food chain in one of the world’s largest, richest companies. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "Red or blue, cities and states will likely pay to play for Amazon HQ2," 2 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'food chain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.