skillet
Americannoun
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a frying pan.
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a cylindrical serving vessel of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, having a hinged lid, a handle, and, sometimes, feet.
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Chiefly British. a long-handled saucepan.
noun
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a small frying pan
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a saucepan
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of skillet
1375–1425; late Middle English; origin uncertain
Explanation
A skillet is a round pan that you use to cook things on the stove. Use your skillet to cook bacon and eggs, NOT as a weapon. You can also call a skillet a "frying pan," and in many parts of the English-speaking world, that's what they do. Skillets are primarily used for frying food, but you can also sauté, sear, brown, or scramble in a skillet. In Britain, a skillet is an old-fashioned type of cooking pot with legs. Experts think the word comes from the Middle French esculette, "a little dish," from the Latin root scutella, "serving platter."
Vocabulary lists containing skillet
Pestle, Sieve, and Whisk: Useful Words for Cooking Tools
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Shiloh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cover the skillet and bring to a boil.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
In the meantime, prepare your rolls by slicing them in half and toasting them cut-side down in melted butter over a warm skillet.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Essentially a massive skillet, a good griddle can just as easily turn out pancakes for breakfast, paninis for lunch, or, yes, chicken thighs for dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
That price tag reflects the Steelfire’s build quality, more like a premium skillet than the basic steel found on most griddles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Its shell splits in two, and the raw yolk drops into the skillet with a slick-sounding thwick.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
In Neighborly Park Circle, a shop focused on local producers and designers, I admired the Smithey iron skillets and J. Stark bags, but with just $4 remaining, I left empty-handed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
She scrubs all manner of kitchenware: trays, pans, cooking sheets, plates, skillets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2025
There, in his blacksmith shop, Rohrmoser flattens and shapes his famous skillets.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023
I have a few pots, skillets, a few good cutting boards.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022
More vegetables were chopped, skillets started sizzling, delicious aromas swirled together, and before long a magnificent meal was set on the dinner table.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
