food chain

noun

1

: an arrangement of the organisms of an ecological community according to the order of predation in which each uses the next usually lower member as a food source

2

: a hierarchy based on power or importance

at the top of the corporate food chain

Examples of food chain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The drinks are also more profitable for fast food chains than the standard soda fountain drinks or plain coffees. —ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026

Fast food chains, thirsty for new ways to grow, are amping up their beverage offerings. —Dee-Ann Durbin, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026

PlushCare analyzed vanilla milkshakes from 14 different fast food chains. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

This new species of finned octopus suggests a more complex picture — one where giant, intelligent invertebrates also held power at the top of the food chain. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for food chain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

food chain

noun

: a series of organisms in which each uses the next usually lower member of the series as a food source