snack

/snæk/

/snæk/

Other forms: snacks; snacking; snacked

A snack is a small serving of food between meals. Enjoy a healthy snack such as apples with peanut butter, or indulge in a bag of chips. After a huge breakfast, you might just want a light snack instead of lunch.

You can use snack as a verb too: "After school, I like to snack on fruit and cookies and listen to music." Snack originally meant "snap or bite" in Middle English, usually in the context of a dog's bite. The noun was also used in the 17th century to mean "a portion or share," which led to the now-obsolete phrase "go snacks," meaning "share with someone."

Definitions of snack

1. noun

   a light informal meal
   synonyms: bite, collation

   types:

   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

   type of:

   meal, repast

   the food served and eaten at one time
2. verb

   eat a snack; eat lightly
   synonyms: nosh

   types:

   browse, graze

   eat lightly, try different dishes

   type of:

   eat

   eat a meal; take a meal