empty calories

plural noun

: calories from food that supply energy but have little or no nutritional value

Examples of empty calories in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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McDonald’s sells over 200 million cartons a year, so this change effectively removed and continues to remove over a billion empty calories from the American diet every year. Seth Goldman, Baltimore Sun, 9 Mar. 2025 Margaritas, beer, soda pop and punch all contain lots of empty calories. Fred Sassani, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 Many times, loaded cereal adds empty calories through additional fat and sugar. Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 22 Jan. 2025 And the empty calories can increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Rachel Carlson, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for empty calories

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of empty calories was in 1955

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Cite this Entry

“Empty calories.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empty%20calories. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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