food insecure
adjective
variants
or less commonly food-insecure
: unable to consistently access or afford adequate food
According to data released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 17 percent of Americans—more than 50 million people—live in households that are "food insecure," a term that means a family sometimes runs out of money to buy food, or it sometimes runs out of food before it can get more money.—
Lisa Miller
Lisa MillerA food-insecure household may be faced with the difficult choice of paying for basic necessities, such as health care and housing, or buying nutritionally adequate foods.—Elyse Miller
Elyse MillerExamples of food insecure in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Arkansas, where 1 in 5 children are food insecure and 1 in 3 children in rural counties are in that situation, the new law will have a devastating impact, said Tomekia Moore, executive director for Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association.
—Arkansas Online, 27 July 2025
Nearly 19% of Arkansas households are food insecure.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 14 July 2025
In some New York City neighborhoods, more than 30% of people are food insecure.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
And even before October 2023, Israel and Egypt had imposed a partial blockade on Gaza, meaning that 63% of the population was food insecure, according to the UN.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for food insecure
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 27 July 2025
Nearly 19% of Arkansas households are food insecure.
—Scott Cohn, CNBC, 14 July 2025
In some New York City neighborhoods, more than 30% of people are food insecure.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
And even before October 2023, Israel and Egypt had imposed a partial blockade on Gaza, meaning that 63% of the population was food insecure, according to the UN.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for food insecure
Cite this Entry
“Food insecure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20insecure. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share