fry

1
[ frahy ]
See synonyms for fry on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),fried, fry·ing.
  1. to cook in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil.

  2. Slang. to execute by electrocution in an electric chair.

verb (used without object),fried, fry·ing.
  1. to undergo cooking in fat or oil.

  2. Slang. to die by electrocution in an electric chair.

noun,plural fries.
  1. a dish of something fried.

  2. a piece of french-fried potato.

  1. a party or gathering at which the chief food is fried, frequently outdoors: a fish fry.

Origin of fry

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; 1925–30 for def. 2; Middle English frien, from Anglo-French, Old French frire, from Latin frīgere “to roast”

Other words from fry

  • fry·a·ble, adjective

Words that may be confused with fry

Words Nearby fry

Other definitions for fry (2 of 3)

fry2
[ frahy ]

noun,plural fry for 1, 2; fry or fries for 3.
  1. a young fish: a salmon fry.

  2. a young animal of certain other kinds, as frogs and oysters.

  1. a person, especially a young or unimportant one: The prime minister had to bank on the cooperation of lesser fry.

Origin of fry

2
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English frie, fry “seed, descendant,” perhaps from Old Norse frjō “seed”; cognate with Swedish frö, Gothic fraiw “seed”

Other definitions for Fry (3 of 3)

Fry
[ frahy ]

noun
  1. Christopher, 1907–2005, English playwright.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fry (1 of 3)

fry1

/ (fraɪ) /


verbfries, frying or fried
  1. (when tr, sometimes foll by up) to cook or be cooked in fat, oil, etc, usually over direct heat

  2. (intr) informal to be excessively hot

  1. slang, mainly US to kill or be killed by electrocution, esp in the electric chair

nounplural fries
  1. a dish of something fried, esp the offal of a specified animal: pig's fry

  2. US and Canadian a social occasion, often outdoors, at which the chief food is fried

  1. British informal the act of preparing a mixed fried dish or the dish itself

Origin of fry

1
C13: from Old French frire, from Latin frīgere to roast, fry

British Dictionary definitions for fry (2 of 3)

fry2

/ (fraɪ) /


pl n
  1. the young of various species of fish

  2. the young of certain other animals, such as frogs

  1. young children: See also small fry

Origin of fry

2
C14 (in the sense: young, offspring): perhaps via Norman French from Old French freier to spawn, rub, from Latin fricāre to rub

British Dictionary definitions for Fry (3 of 3)

Fry

/ (fraɪ) /


noun
  1. Christopher . 1907–2005, English dramatist; author of the verse dramas A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946), The Lady's Not For Burning (1948), and Venus Observed (1950)

  2. Elizabeth . 1780–1845, English prison reformer and Quaker

  1. Roger Eliot . 1866–1934, English art critic and painter who helped to introduce the postimpressionists to Britain. His books include Vision and Design (1920) and Cézanne (1927)

  2. Stephen (John). born 1957, British writer, actor, and comedian; his novels include The Liar (1991) and The Stars' Tennis Balls (2000)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012