food insecure

adjective

variants or less commonly food-insecure
: unable to consistently access or afford adequate food
According to data released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 17 percent of Americans—more than 50 million people—live in households that are "food insecure," a term that means a family sometimes runs out of money to buy food, or it sometimes runs out of food before it can get more money.Lisa Miller
A food-insecure household may be faced with the difficult choice of paying for basic necessities, such as health care and housing, or buying nutritionally adequate foods.Elyse Miller

Examples of food insecure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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More than 16% of its people are also food insecure, according to the 2024 Map the Meal Gap study by Feeding America, an organization which helps provide food assistance to the tribal food pantry on the reservation. Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 23 Oct. 2024 Even with all this food waste, 15 million children still live in food insecure homes. Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2024 It is estimated four out of every 10 students in the state’s universities are food insecure and not sure where their next meal will come from, Second Harvest officials emphasize. Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 25 Sep. 2024 Ultimately, the system re-entrenches the cycle of poverty that made students food insecure in the first place. Carrie Welton, TIME, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for food insecure 

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of food insecure was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near food insecure

Cite this Entry

“Food insecure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20insecure. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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