Library / English Dictionary

SNACK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A light informal meal

Synonyms:

bite; collation; snack

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("snack" is a kind of...):

meal; repast (the food served and eaten at one time)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "snack"):

refreshment (snacks and drinks served as a light meal)

nosh ((Yiddish) a snack or light meal)

coffee break; tea break (a snack taken during a break in the work day)

Derivation:

snack (eat a snack; eat lightly)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Eat a snack; eat lightly

Example:

She never loses weight because she snacks between meals

Synonyms:

nosh; snack

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "snack" is one way to...):

eat (eat a meal; take a meal)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "snack"):

browse; graze (eat lightly, try different dishes)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue snack

Derivation:

snack (a light informal meal)

snacker (someone who eats lightly or eats snacks between meals)

Credits

 Context examples: 

These are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.

(Dietary Fats, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

For all children, you should: • Start using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste when they are two years old. You might start sooner, if a dentist or doctor suggests it. • Provide healthy foods and limit sweet snacks and drinks • Schedule regular dental check-ups

(Child Dental Health, NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)

Here's how to keep your mouth and teeth healthy: • Brush your teeth every day with a fluoride toothpaste • Clean between your teeth every day with floss or another type of between-the-teeth cleaner • Snack smart - limit sugary snacks • Don't smoke or chew tobacco • See your dentist or oral health professional regularly

(Dental Health, NIH: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)

Encourage healthy eating by: • Serving more fruits and vegetables • Buying fewer soft drinks and high-fat, high-calorie snack foods • Making sure your child eats breakfast every day • Eating fast food less often • Not using food as a reward

(Obesity in Children, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

But when sleep-deprived, they consumed more and unhealthier snacks in between meals.

(Molecular ties between lack of sleep and weight gain, NIH)