as in natural foods
US
a piece of food that is meant to be picked up with the fingers and eaten
Waiters offered the guests finger food during the cocktail hour.
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Recent Examples of finger foods
The food shies away from the typical — no crab rangoon here — for finger foods that harken to cuisines outside the South Pacific, like Jamaican style jerk shrimp skewers ($18) and salmon ceviche ($16).
—
Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Use them for serving finger foods, grabbing items from a hot toaster, or serving on a buffet.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
For example, a traditional caprese salad can be transformed into finger foods by alternating cherry tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella and leaves of basil on skewers.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
For a more relaxed vibe, consider keeping things simple with tasty finger foods and letting everyone settle in for a Halloween movie marathon once the kids return home.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
Patrons can expect finger foods like wings and dips, healthy options including salads and fish, indulgent pastas and a burger program that Gurland is especially excited about.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Use them for serving finger foods, grabbing items from a hot toaster, or serving on a buffet.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
For example, a traditional caprese salad can be transformed into finger foods by alternating cherry tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella and leaves of basil on skewers.
—Metro Creative Services, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
For a more relaxed vibe, consider keeping things simple with tasty finger foods and letting everyone settle in for a Halloween movie marathon once the kids return home.
—Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
Patrons can expect finger foods like wings and dips, healthy options including salads and fish, indulgent pastas and a burger program that Gurland is especially excited about.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for finger foods
Noun
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Vendors sold everything from $5 wood fire pizzas to $13 combo plates from Mexican meals to Chinese food and more.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
February 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Outside of the cabin, these wipes come in handy at meals, while taking public transportation, and when cleaning up small messes at the hotel.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Fairmont Gold Lounge is worth the upgrade, serving breakfast, refreshments, afternoon tea, evening cocktails, and late-night snacks.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The Cuban government’s accusations that several Floridians attempted to invade the island Wednesday on a speedboat carrying Molotov cocktails and sniper rifles has set off shockwaves across the Sunshine State.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In areas of intense fighting — especially in Darfur — famine is spreading and food and basic supplies are scarce.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The warnings come as technology companies looking to cash in on the AI boom through aggressive investments in AI infrastructure are straining memory chip inventories, leaving manufacturers in other memory-intensive sectors, like smartphone and PC producers, scrambling to secure chip supplies.—
Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Finger foods.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/finger%20foods. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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