Meaning & use
finger foods
Last updated
“finger foods” is a form of “finger food”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Several different kinds of small food that people pick up and eat with their fingers.
Grammar: Always plural in form; it takes a plural verb: finger foods are easy to serve.
Patterns
- a variety of finger foods
- finger foods are …
- serve finger foods
The menu listed finger foods such as olives, samosas, and tiny sandwiches.
Finger foods are ideal when guests are moving around.
She prepared three finger foods for the picnic.
Word forms
| singular | finger food |
|---|
Common combinations
- a range of finger foods
- The caterer offered a range of finger foods.
- hot finger foods
- Hot finger foods went fast on that cold evening.
- finger foods and dips
- We set out finger foods and dips on the side table.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snacks
- Snacks are small items eaten between meals and need not be eaten by hand, so it is a wider word than finger foods.
- appetizers
- Appetizers are small first courses, often eaten with cutlery, while finger foods are eaten by hand.
Word family
- finger food noun
- The uncountable form meaning this type of food in general.
Commonly confused: finger foods or fast foods?
finger foods vs fast foods
Fast foods are meals sold quickly in restaurants; finger foods are about being eaten by hand.
Practice
Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.
Choose one answer.
"Finger foods" is plural, so it takes a plural verb: "Finger foods are popular." Options 1 and 3 use the wrong verb number, and options 2 and 4 wrongly add "a" before a plural noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “finger foods”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.