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food chain

noun

Definition of food chainnext
as in hierarchy
a series of types of living things in which each one uses the next lower member of the series as a source of food Sharks eat fish that are lower in the food chain. animals that are at the top of the food chain

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for food chain
  1. hierarchy
  2. grouping
Noun
  • Lake said the contrasts between the quiet and extravagant designs are important and represent someone’s journey through society’s hierarchies.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Volkswagen Meanwhile the struggling VW hierarchy has to prove to the motoring world that the new GTI is a genuine leap forward for the electric hot hatch – not an overpriced attempt to cash in on a legendary nameplate.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of hierarchy
Noun
  • My groupings range from sterling silver flatware to matchbooks, but my most prized grouping is my trove of fine art.
    — Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Only 28 of the 105 political parties and groupings approved by the Provisional Electoral Council to contest elections for president, Parliament and local posts, had reached the threshold of registering 30,000 members.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of grouping
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.

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food
food chain
food chains
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Cite this Entry

“Food chain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/food%20chain. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on food chain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about food chain

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