noun / verb
snack
SNAK/snæk/
A small amount of food eaten between meals, or eating it.
She eats a small snack between lunch and dinner.
Etymology
The earlier noun snak meant a snap or snatch, especially a dog's. It later meant a share or portion, before developing the food sense of a small, hasty meal.
In context
People call it Korean sushi and that's like an American way of understanding this. There's no real need to get too cerebral about them. It's a quintessential like after-school snack.
More examples
- We snack on popcorn while we wait for dinner.
- I packed two snacks to eat between meals.
- Snacking too close to dinner can spoil your appetite.
Forms
snack · snacks · snacked · snacking
snacker noun — A person who eats between meals.