griddle

American  

[grid-l] / ˈgrɪd l /

noun

• griddles
  plural

1. a frying pan with a handle and a slightly raised edge, for cooking pancakes, bacon, etc., over direct heat.

2. any flat, heated surface, especially on the top of a stove, for cooking food.

   a quick breakfast from the luncheonette's griddle.

3. Upstate New York Older Use. a circular lid covering an opening on the cooking surface of a wood or coal-burning stove.

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verb (used with object)

• griddles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• griddled,
  past participle,  past
• griddling
  present participle

1. to cook on a griddle.

   Griddle two eggs for me, will you?

griddle British  

/ ˈɡrɪdəl /

noun

1. Also called: girdle.  a thick round iron plate with a half hoop handle over the top, for making scones, etc

2. any flat heated surface, esp on the top of a stove, for cooking food

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verb

1. (tr) to cook (food) on a griddle

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• griddles
  plural

Participles

• griddling
  present
• griddled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• griddle
  simple
• griddles
  simple
• have griddled
  perfect
• has griddled
  perfect
• am griddling
  progressive
• are griddling
  progressive
• is griddling
  progressive
• have been griddling
  perfect progressive
• has been griddling
  perfect progressive

Past

• griddled
  simple
• had griddled
  perfect
• was griddling
  progressive
• were griddling
  progressive
• had been griddling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will griddle
  simple
• will have griddled
  perfect
• will be griddling
  progressive
• will have been griddling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of griddle

1175–1225; Middle English gridel, gredil < Old French gridil, gredil; see grill ¹

Explanation

A griddle is a flat pan or stovetop that's used for cooking things quickly at high temperatures. Let's make pancakes on the griddle for breakfast. Yum! In a home kitchen, a griddle can be either a special metal pan. part of your stove, or a small appliance that you plug in; a restaurant griddle has a much larger surface. No matter what its size, the flat surface of a griddle gets hot fast, so you can easily whip up some scrambled eggs, hash browns, or bacon. Griddle originally meant "shallow frying pan," and it shares a root with grill.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

griddle griddles griddled griddling

A representative of Chipotle said that the chain’s chicken “is grilled fresh throughout the day on the plancha,” a flat cooking surface similar to a griddle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Although the queen does not provide the instruction, the pancakes are then cooked on a hot griddle.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025

As you know, Benihana grills meat and shrimp on a griddle, using soy sauce as a seasoning.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2024

By noon, she and her mom load their white van with soup-filled pots, orange Home Depot buckets and a cast-iron griddle to heat up tortillas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

Coal moved the two incorrectly sized pancakes off the griddle and onto a plate Mari was holding up.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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

Nearby, a long table was draped in a Mexican serape and topped with platters of pan dulce, while next to it, two women pushed around sizzling pieces of chicken and beef on gas griddles.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

There, among the many taco trucks and gas station stalls, rich, tempting spits and white-hot griddles, is Mitla Cafe.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2022

The livestreams are as varied as their audiences: There’s The Food Network’s Ree Drummond, who has sold her brand of “Pioneer Woman” cropped jeans, floral trash cans and nonstick griddles on a Walmart “shop-along.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2021

There are cooks in black T-shirts, frying eggs and potatoes on sizzling griddles.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The Order: The Tuna Bacon B.L.T. features smoked tuna, thinly sliced and griddled until crisp.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Even griddled Texas toast, with its squared-off heft, can be unexpectedly perfect.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

"It's an old traditional food that's been eaten for years and years", he said of the griddled bread.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024

The menu features crispy, griddled corn cakes stuffed with everything from traditional cheese to shredded pork, chicken or sweet plantains.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2023

Never under such dark and griddled elms had the outlaws feasted upon their venison.

From The Works of Max Beerbohm by Sir Max Beerbohm

It was pre-dawn and I was griddling English muffins because I had misread my notes and forgotten there was another rise.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2025

I'd recommend griddling it in a skillet with some olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, but the old toaster is a-okay, too.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2022

Mayo works best when spread on the bread before griddling.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2021

Leah Anne Jaros of D.C. ups the ante on the exterior by sprinkling garlic powder over the butter- or mayo-coated sides before griddling, for a garlic-bread-inspired riff that is just so smart.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2021

In fact, grilling is out, and griddling is in.

From The Verge ● Jul. 20, 2021