frying pan

American  

Also fry-pan,

noun

1. a shallow, long-handled pan in which food is fried.

---

idioms

1. out of the frying pan into the fire, free of one predicament but immediately in a worse one.

frying pan British  

noun

1. a long-handled shallow pan used for frying

2. from a bad situation to a worse one

---

Etymology

Origin of frying pan

1350–1400; Middle English fryinge panne

Compare meaning

How does frying-pan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• saucepan vs. frying pan

Example Sentences

Yet the country may be launching out of the frying pan and into the fire.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

When you need a frying pan to cook fluffy omelets, a skillet to brown mushrooms, or a sheet pan for baking an afternoon treat of chocolate chip cookies, it’s tempting to reach for something nonstick.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

Now imagine instead of a frying pan, it was the floor beneath you.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2024

When sunny skies returned, the Olympic skate park — made of concrete and shaped like a bowl — became a giant frying pan.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024

Sneakers, books, and backpacks traveled through the rooms on unseen currents, and there was always food underfoot and an old frying pan or two on the steps outside the back door.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Related Words

• wok