street food

noun

plural street foods

: prepared food of a kind that is typically sold to customers on a street or sidewalk and that is often designed to be carried and eaten while walking

Pizza is quintessentially a street food: a quick lunch or a quick snack often eaten standing up or on the go.

—Don Lesser

Traditionally eaten as street food, empanadas are ideal for snacking on the go but are just as satisfying to sit down to for a simple dinner.

—Melissa Roberts and Maggie Ruggiero

Satays, which are skewered and grilled morsels of beef, fish, chicken, pork, or vegetables, are street food in Southeast Asia, devoured day and night with gusto.

—Karen MacNeil

Examples of street food in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Serving East African street food inspired by husband-and-wife owners Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere’s native Burundi, Waka delivers African flavors in small bites. —Usa Today Network, USA Today, 19 June 2026

The event featured classic Argentine street food, a band, Tango dancers and dozens of spirited fans. —Julianna Mejia, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026

Nowadays, in addition to selling ingredients meant to be cooked at home, many European markets have stalls that serve street food and other local specialties. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2026

Rico Rico Taco, a concept out of Oakland, will offer handmade tortillas and tacos inspired by Mexico City street food. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 12 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for street food

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

Kids Definition

street food

noun

: prepared food of a kind that is typically sold to customers on a street or sidewalk and that is often designed to be carried and eaten while walking