Thesaurus results for FOOD CHAINS

food chains

noun

plural of food chain

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

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of food chains After Apple announced the new iPhone, companies from fast food chains to other technology giants were quick to weigh in. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 Similar trends are playing out at fast food chains and sit-down restaurants. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 On Friday, July 17, Taylor Farms — which supplies produce for pre-packaged salads in grocery stores and ingredients for fast food chains — announced a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce sourced to the region by the FDA. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026 Some food chains are ready to deal with any barriers to growth because there are so many consumers in the state. — Lily Wright, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 High Street leaned heavily collegiate, lined with pizza parlors, student bars, and familiar franchised food chains. — Rafael Pena, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2026 Italy’s already squeezed farmers are under strain by large supermarket and food chains. — Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 4 June 2026 Here are the latest specials and deals announced by fast food chains in news releases, social media posts, or on their websites. — Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 3 June 2026 Which fast food chains use beef tallow today Beef tallow never disappeared entirely, and a handful of chains have either kept it or brought it back. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for food chains

Noun

How far might a nation go that had no kings to depose, no entrenched hierarchies to uproot, a country so young and iconoclastic and resource-rich?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
To navigate this acceleration, leadership must shift from rigid hierarchies to horizontal agility—partnering across boundaries to follow the fluid flow of value.

— Stephanie Kramer, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of hierarchies

Noun

In separate local elections, various independent candidates and groupings appeared to be winning most seats nationwide, a traditional result.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, of the 105 political parties and groupings qualified to participate, only 33 had successfully submitted their membership lists.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of groupings

Browse Nearby Words

food chain

food chains

foodie

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Food chains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/food%20chains. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of food chains

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes