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junk food
noun
1
: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional content
2
: something that is appealing or enjoyable but of little or no real value
video junk food
Examples of junk food in a Sentence
worrying about kids eating too much junk food
eating too many junk foods
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s worsened by lifestyles marked by more high-salt junk food and screen time but less sleep and exercise.
—Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 6 May 2024
Waheed blasts 50 Cent and loves junk food; Marie lives a few floors above her mother; and the narrator, who remains nameless, recounts her struggle with bipolar disorder.
—The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
De Los Rios said Robles didn't let his runners eat junk food.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
Stress is also linked to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as exercising less, drinking more, and eating junk food.
—Diane Harris, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Activist investors have been urging Nestle to move away from unhealthy products for a while, citing a plethora of risks that suggest the market for junk food is only likely to shrink in the future.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 14 Mar. 2024
Studies have shown that people are more likely to crave fruits and vegetables over junk food when taking the drugs.
—Madison Muller, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024
Haigh then cuts to Adam sitting on his couch, eating junk food and watching junk TV until the wee hours.
—Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
Analysts at Barclays, the bank that encouraged a shorting of junk food credits, were bullish on the prospects of French food manufacturer Danone.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 8 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'junk food.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1952, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to junk food
Dictionary Entries Near junk food
Cite this Entry
“Junk food.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/junk%20food. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
junk food
noun
: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value
More from Merriam-Webster on junk food
Nglish: Translation of junk food for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about junk food
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