food
part of speech
noun (food, foods — usually uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) What people, animals and plants take in to stay alive, grow and have energy. tree →
2) A particular kind of thing to eat: «Pizza is my favourite food.» tree →
3) «Food for thought» means something worth thinking about. tree →
4) (casual) «Grub», «nosh» (UK), «tucker» (Australia, NZ), «chow» (US), «scran» (UK) and «eats» are slang words for food; «snacks» and «munchies» are small foods. tree →
5) (casual) «Food baby» jokes about a full belly; «hangry» means angry because hungry. tree →
6) (rough) «Muck», «slop» and «crap food» are rude words for food someone does not like. tree →
7) (formal) «Provisions», «sustenance», «nourishment», «comestibles» and «foodstuffs» are stiff words for food. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science, food gives the body energy and materials to grow and repair; food chains show who eats whom; plants make their own food from sunlight. In health and safety: wash hands before touching food, keep raw meat apart, check for allergies. In maths: food shared out, food bought and its cost. In casual talk: «grab some food», «food's here». In the exam voice: «provisions sufficient for 6 persons», «the quantity of foodstuffs». Phrases: food chain, junk food, healthy food, fast food, pet food, food poisoning, food for thought, food bank.
examples
- We need food to grow. tree →
- Fruit and vegetables are healthy food. tree →
- Plants make their own food using sunlight. tree →
- The rabbit is food for the fox in this food chain. tree →
- Do not eat food that smells bad. tree →
- Wash your hands before you touch food. tree →
- Feed the dog its own dog food, not chocolate. tree →
- Mum bought food for the week. tree →
- food's here!! 3 pizzas, 8 slices each, 6 of us (casual) tree →
- Grab some tucker for the trip, mate. (casual, Australia) tree →
- This school food is total muck. (rough) tree →
- Provisions sufficient for 6 persons over 4 days are required; determine the number of daily rations. (formal exam) tree →
- He then asked for some food. tree →
note
Usually uncountable: «some food», «a lot of food», not «a food» (except for kinds: «spicy foods»). Food that is old or badly stored can make you sick (food poisoning). Some foods that are safe for people, like chocolate and grapes, are poisonous to dogs. Formal «provisions», «rations», «sustenance» = food. Maths: food shared equally means divide; food for many days means multiply. Safety: never eat food a stranger offers or food you are allergic to.
In the corpora
- Child benefit is a small regular payment from the government to families with children, to help with things like shoes and food.
- Some families use a food bank for a while, which is help, not shame.
- Own-brand food is often made in a similar way to famous brands but costs less because there is no big advertising.
- A food bank is a charity that gives free food parcels, usually after a referral from someone like a school or a doctor.
- "I'm being good today" about food is just a phrase; eating a biscuit does not make anyone bad.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «food» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.