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• bacon
  bacon

  noun

  the back and sides of the hog, salted and dried or smoked, usually sliced thin and fried for food.
• Bacon
  Bacon

  noun

  Francis Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, 1561–1626, English essayist, philosopher, and statesman.

bacon

¹ American  

[bay-kuhn] / ˈbeɪ kən /

noun

• bacon
  plural

1. the back and sides of the hog, salted and dried or smoked, usually sliced thin and fried for food.

2. Also called white bacon. South Midland and Southern U.S. pork cured in brine; salt pork.

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idioms

1. bring home the bacon,

   1. to provide for material needs; earn a living.

   2. to accomplish a task; be successful or victorious.

      Our governor went to Washington to appeal for disaster relief and brought home the bacon—$40 million.

2. save one's bacon, to allow one to accomplish a desired end; spare one from injury or loss.

   Quick thinking saved our bacon.

Bacon ² American  

[bay-kuhn] / ˈbeɪ kən /

noun

1. Francis Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, 1561–1626, English essayist, philosopher, and statesman.

2. Francis, 1910–92, English painter, born in Ireland.

3. Henry, 1866–1924, U.S. architect.

4. Nathaniel, 1647–76, American colonist, born in England: leader of a rebellion in Virginia 1676.

5. Roger The Admirable Doctor, 1214?–94?, English philosopher and scientist.

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bacon ¹ British  

/ ˈbeɪkən /

noun

1. meat from the back and sides of a pig, dried, salted, and usually smoked

2. informal

   1. to achieve success

   2. to provide material support

3. informal to help someone to escape from danger

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Bacon ² British  

/ ˈbeɪkən /

noun

1. Francis , Baron Verulam, Viscount St Albans. 1561–1626, English philosopher, statesman, and essayist; described the inductive method of reasoning: his works include Essays (1625), The Advancement of Learning (1605), and Novum Organum (1620)

2. Francis . 1909–92, British painter, born in Dublin, noted for his distorted, richly coloured human figures, dogs, and carcasses

3. Roger . ?1214–92, English Franciscan monk, scholar, and scientist: stressed the importance of experiment, demonstrated that air is required for combustion, and first used lenses to correct vision. His Opus Majus (1266) is a compendium of all the sciences of his age

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Bacon Scientific  

/ bā′kən /

1. English scientist and philosopher who is noted for the wide range of his knowledge and writing on scientific topics. Bacon pioneered the idea that mathematics is fundamental to science and that experimentation is essential to test scientific theories.

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bacon More Idioms  

1. see bring home the bacon; save one's bacon.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bacon
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bacon

1300–50; Middle English bacoun < Anglo-French; Old French bacon < Germanic *bakōn- ( Old High German bacho back, ham, bacon) derivative of *baka- back ¹; compare Middle Dutch bake bacon

Explanation

Bacon is a thin, salty meat product that's often served beside eggs at breakfast. Some people like their bacon cooked until it's crispy. If you're a vegetarian, you might order a BLT and say, "Hold the bacon, please." Bacon comes from the belly or the sides of a pig, and it's typically swirled with fat, cured or smoked, and very flavorful. The word and the food have been around since at least the early 14th century, from a Proto-Germanic root, bakkon, or "back meat." Since the early 1900s, "bringing home the bacon" has been slang for earning a living.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bacon Bacon

LOS ANGELES—I was eating my second piece of hot honey and cracked black-pepper bacon in American Airlines’ Flagship Lounge when an employee popped by.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Two to four eggs with some type of beef bacon or turkey bacon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

If you do not own a bacon press, use a smaller heavy skillet, a foil-wrapped kitchen brick or simply a spatula and some patience.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

The front page of the Daily Star is dedicated to a confession from Declan Donnelly, who said he once forgot to pay for an egg and bacon sandwich from Marks & Spencer.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

When they reached Olympia Village, most of the other teams were hanging out in the dining area, scarfing down bacon and playing with the waffle machines.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Mr. Bacon is the author of 14 books on sports and business and of “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, and Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, are asking House members for written pledges that they won’t block midterm winners from taking their seats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Bacon and a little onion get browned first; low-moisture mozzarella supplies the requisite cheese pull while provolone gives it a little more character.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

A year later, she performed “Holding Out for a Hero,” produced by Steinman and co-written by Dean Pitchford, for the 1984 film classic “Footloose,” starring Kevin Bacon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

“I don’t know why, but I take the job very seriously,” said Mr. Bacon, and he too addressed the boys.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• pancetta
• pork