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
  • When half of the crowd are members of other bands on the bill, dancing alongside fans, little room is left for hierarchy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Leo met with six abuse survivors during his recent trip to Spain, where the Catholic hierarchy has only recently begun reckoning with its legacy of abuse and cover-up after long dismissing the severity of the scandal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of hierarchy
Noun
  • So on Friday, at UCLA’s second fall practice, the Bruins shifted around personnel and paired various offensive groupings.
    — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • However, previous estimates thought the grouping could be just 100,000 years old.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Aug. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

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 15 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on food chain

Nglish: Translation of food chain for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about food chain

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