大胃王指竞食比赛的选手，以能在一定的时间内吃下最多份食物者为胜。

23岁体重仅57公斤的日本选手小林尊，于2001年参加美国纽约最著名的国际国庆日吃热狗大赛，以超越80年前记录（25份热狗）两倍的成绩－12分钟内吃下50份热狗而夺得冠军，引起大众对此项「运动」的注意力。从此参加竞食比赛成为小林尊的职业，ESPN于次年开始转播国际国庆日吃热狗大赛，并且此后每年转播。

Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can last up to thirty minutes, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner. Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, Canada, and Japan, where organized professional eating contests often offer prizes, including cash.