What does snacking mean?
Snacking means eating small amounts of food between ordinary meals. The term can refer to the activity itself, as when a doctor asks whether a patient has been “snacking in the evening,” or function adjectivally before a noun, as in “light snacking” or a “snacking ban.” It is neutral in register and common in both British and American English. Although a snack is often something small and easy to eat, snacking specifically suggests eating outside the main meals of the day. The word can also carry a mildly negative connotation when it describes frequent or excessive eating, as in habitual late-night snacking, but it can be approving when the additional food is nutritious or intended to provide energy. In everyday use, it is an ordinary term rather than a technical dietary label.
The act or habit of eating small amounts of food between meals.
"She replaced her afternoon snacking with a glass of water."
Often treated as a mass noun and commonly used to describe a dietary habit.
Relating to or designed for eating small amounts of food between meals.
"Passengers are asked to limit in-flight snacking."
Chiefly used attributively before a noun.
Rare; the noun is normally used in the singular or as a mass noun.
"The guide discusses healthy snackings and meal planning for hikers."
Snacking began as a noun before “snack” became a verb, reversing the usual direction in which modern English creates words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does snacking come from?
English snacking was formed from snack with the suffix -ing. The noun snack entered English in the late 16th century from Dutch, where snacken means “to bite” or “to snap” and snack denotes a bite or morsel. The English verb snack was subsequently created by back-formation from the older gerund form used for the activity of eating snacks.
Related word forms
How snacking is actually used
The noun is usually an activity or habit and is commonly treated as a mass noun, so plural forms are uncommon. The adjectival use normally appears before a noun, as in “between-meal snacking” or “healthy snacking.”