1
: of, relating to, or specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly
a fast-food restaurant
2
: designed for ready availability, use, or consumption and with little consideration given to quality or significance
fast-food TV programming
fast food noun

Examples of fast-food in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Fatburger: Fans can get the fast-food chain's Baby Fat burger, made with a 2.5-ounce patty, through June 30 at participating locations, or online at fatburger.com with code BABYFAT5. Mike Snider, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025 What does a fast-food chain have to do with an 11-minute all-female mission to space? Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025 Seen through the narrator’s eyes, the fast-food restaurant’s employees lose their generic anonymity and gain a sense of individuality. Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025 Travis Silvers was found dead in his vehicle in the fast-food parking lot in Adairsville, Georgia on the morning of March 10, 2001, the bureau said in a news release. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fast-food

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fast-food was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Fast-food.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast-food. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fast-food

adjective
ˌfas(t)-ˌfüd
: specializing in food that can be prepared and served quickly
a fast-food restaurant
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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