as in hierarchies
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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Recent Examples of food chains
Plenty of food chains in Kentucky have deals or limited-time menu items to accommodate for the Lenten season.
—
Cheryl V. Jackson, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Plenty of food chains operating in Indiana have deals or limited-time menu items to accommodate your diet.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026
The rise of car culture in the 1940s and ’50s brought about several fast food chains that are still around today.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
This study indicates that the presence of oak trees can help support entire food chains in urban environments, and this is something that urban planners and property holders should be considering when designing urban green spaces.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
From bunless burgers to cups filled with meat, fast food chains are reshaping their menus as weight-loss drugs and wellness trends change how Americans eat.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
This is the country Brazilians affectionately call Brasil com S, a place with more than 70 national parks, more than 4,600 miles of coastline, and more local fruit stands than fast food chains.
—Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Other fast food chains have noted the emergence of a two-tier economy—of high-income earners shelling out for meals, while low-income earners tighten their belts.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Freshwater melting from the Greenland ice sheet can weaken ocean currents in the North Atlantic, disrupting air and ocean temperature patterns and marine food chains.
—Alexandra A Phillips, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Cheryl V. Jackson, Louisville Courier Journal, 20 Feb. 2026
Plenty of food chains operating in Indiana have deals or limited-time menu items to accommodate your diet.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, IndyStar, 18 Feb. 2026
The rise of car culture in the 1940s and ’50s brought about several fast food chains that are still around today.
—Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
This study indicates that the presence of oak trees can help support entire food chains in urban environments, and this is something that urban planners and property holders should be considering when designing urban green spaces.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
From bunless burgers to cups filled with meat, fast food chains are reshaping their menus as weight-loss drugs and wellness trends change how Americans eat.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
This is the country Brazilians affectionately call Brasil com S, a place with more than 70 national parks, more than 4,600 miles of coastline, and more local fruit stands than fast food chains.
—Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Other fast food chains have noted the emergence of a two-tier economy—of high-income earners shelling out for meals, while low-income earners tighten their belts.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
Freshwater melting from the Greenland ice sheet can weaken ocean currents in the North Atlantic, disrupting air and ocean temperature patterns and marine food chains.
—Alexandra A Phillips, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for food chains
Noun
-
Japanese macaques adhere to strict hierarchies, and displays of dominance are to be expected.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The making of reading as luxury and the enclosure of public arts education is how new class hierarchies may be defined.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Rather than looking for the galaxy directly, the research team searched for tight groupings of globular clusters, dense spherical groups of stars that orbit galaxies and can serve as signposts for hidden galaxies nearby.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Feb. 2026
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Malinin stuck a double loop instead of a quadruple, groupings of four now evading him at every turn.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The show portrays devious, cocaine-huffing young bankers climbing the ranks of global finance, and Yasmin—or Yas, for short—has cut the least noble path of all.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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Alice’s father is a British government official high in the ranks of Bombay society so her friendship with film star Rochana is frowned on by her strict mother.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Food chains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/food%20chains. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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