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From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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foodfood /fuːd/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 [countable, uncountable]DF things that people and animals eat, such as vegetables or meat The restaurant serves good food at affordable prices. I love Italian food, especially pasta. He was told to cut down on salty and fatty foods.2 → food for thoughtGRAMMAR: Countable or uncountable?• Food is usually uncountable: There was not enough food for everyone. ✗Don’t say: enough foods• Food is used as a countable noun when talking about particular types of food: The doctor advised her to avoid fatty foods.Butter is a healthy food.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesgood/excellent The hotel was nice and the food was really good.delicious/tasty Thanks for dinner – the food was delicious.fresh The food is all so fresh.healthyWe try to give the kids good healthy food.nourishing/nutritious (=making you strong and healthy)The food was nourishing but not particularly tasty. plain/simple (=without anything added or without decoration)He liked eating simple food, nothing spicy. spicy (=with a hot taste)Spanish food is not usually very spicy.hot foodShe wanted a rest and some hot food.cold foodThe cafeteria only serves cold food.Italian/French/Chinese etc foodThe restaurant serves delicious Italian food.exotic food (=unusual because of being from a foreign country)The shop specializes in selling exotic food like kangaroo and crocodile meat.fatty foodsLimit your intake of fatty foods.starchy foods (=food that contains a lot of starch)Starchy foods include bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes.verbshave foodThe family hadn’t had any food for days.eat foodHe sat in the corner and ate his food.cook/prepare foodI have to cook some food for this evening.serve food (=give food to someone, especially in a restaurant)She served food and cleared tables all evening.enjoy your foodI’ve never seen anyone enjoy their food so much.chew foodHe chewed the food slowly and carefully.swallow foodWhile she was ill, she had trouble swallowing her food.digest foodAphids have bacteria in their guts that help them digest food.food tastes good/delicious etcThe food at Jan’s house always tastes good.food smells goodThe food smelt good to her.phrasesbe off your food British English (=not want to eat)The baby is off his food.go off your food British English (=to stop wanting to eat)Since becoming ill, he has gone off his food.nounsa food supplyThe government must ensure an adequate food supply.the food industryThe food industry has responded to consumer concerns about health.food production (=the process of making or growing food to be sold)Farmers have increased food production to meet demand.food productsThe nutrient content of most food products is displayed on the packaging.food pricesFood prices have increased rapidly in recent months.a food shortageHe remembered the food shortages of the war years.a food scare (=when people are afraid to eat a particular food)The meat industry has been badly affected by recent food scares.food colouring British English, food coloring American EnglishDilute a little food colouring with water.food additives (=substances added to food in order to improve its taste or appearance)These chemicals have been approved as food additives.THESAURUSfood noun [countable, uncountable] things that people and animals eatYou can buy good fresh food in the market.Do you like Japanese food?dish noun [countable] a type of food that is cooked in a particular way a traditional English dishThey also offer vegetarian dishes.speciality British English, specialty American English noun [countable] a type of food that a restaurant or place is famous forFish dishes are a specialty of the region.Home made pies are one of the hotel’s specialities.delicacy noun [countable] an unusual food which people in a particular place like to eat The local delicacies include laverbread (boiled seaweed).I was keen to try out the local delicacies.diet noun [countable] the type of food that someone usually eatsYou shouldn’t have too much salt in your diet.In the Andes, the main diet is beans, potatoes, and corn.cooking noun [uncountable] food made in a particular way, or by a particular personHerbs are used a lot in French cooking.I love my Mum’s home cooking.cuisine /kwɪˈziːn/ noun [countable] formal the food you can eat in a particular restaurant, country, or area Italian cuisineTrying the local cuisine is all part of the fun of travelling.nutrition noun [uncountable] food considered as something that is necessary for good health and growtha book on nutritionMany homeless people suffer from poor nutrition.nourishment /ˈnʌrɪʃmənt $ ˈnɜː-, ˈnʌ-/ noun [uncountable] goodness that you get from food, which helps your body to stay healthyThere's not much nourishment in fast food.fare noun [uncountable] formal the kind of food that is served in a place – used especially when saying how interesting it isIn China you can feast on bird’s nest soup and other exotic fare. Dinner was pretty standard fare (=the usual kind of food).types of foodfast food food such as hamburgers, which is prepared quickly and which you can take away with you to eatHe ballooned to 300lbs on a diet of fast food.junk food food that is full of sugar or fat, and is bad for your healthI used to eat loads of junk food.GM food British English food made from vegetables and animals that have had their genetic structure changedThere has been a lot of research into the safety of GM food.organic food food that is produced without using harmful chemicalsShoppers are willing to pay more for organic food.health food food that is thought to be good for your healthYou can buy the ingredients in any good health food shop.superfood a type of food that is believed to be good for your health because it contains a lot of a particular type of vitamin, mineral etcSuperfoods such as blueberries are often promoted as having magic health-giving properties.vegetarian food food that does not contain meatThe restaurant specializes in vegetarian food.processed food food that has chemicals in it to make it last a long timeThe colourings and flavourings in processed food are chemicals produced in factories.canned food (also tinned food British English) food that is sold in cansWe had to live on canned food for a week.Tinned food was sent as emergency aid.frozen food food that is kept at a very low temperature to make it last a long timeSome people claim that frozen food is just as healthy as fresh food.convenience food food that is sold in cans, packages etc, so that it can be prepared quickly and easilyI found that I had more time to cook, instead of just heating up convenience food.baby food special food for babiesThe soup was horrible – it tasted like baby food.pet/dog/cat/bird etc food food for animals that you keep as petsShe spent a fortune on pet food.
Examples from the Corpus
food• Any conversation, even if it was only about food, was better than this stalemate.• You can quite easily make your own baby food at home.• And they buy food and clothes and pay rent.• They didn't even have enough money to buy food.• The virus is spread through contact with contaminated food and water.• Buddy won't eat the new dog food I bought.• the world's largest fast food restaurant chain• To lose weight, cut down on sweet and fatty foods.• The doctor told him not to eat fatty foods.• A health food store is a good place to look for herbs.• I have to cut up his food.• I'd never tried Indian food before.• I've never had Indonesian food -- what's it like?• You shouldn't eat all that junk food, it's bad for you.• She never spoke to anyone but would nod at Toussaint, who brought her shares of their meager food.• He jumps back, but he already has a mouthful of food.• Make sure you leave the cat plenty of food and water before you go.• New-born birds stay in their nest while their mother goes out in search of food.• The church program provides food and clothing for the needy.• Juntao refused food as a protest against prison conditions.• North Korea faces severe food shortages.• Do you like spicy food?• The food's great and it's not that expensive.Origin food Old English foda
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