barbecue

or bar·be·que, bar-b-que

[bahr-bi-kyoo]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR barbecue ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

pieces of beef, fowl, fish, or the like, roasted over an open hearth, especially when basted in a barbecue sauce.

a framework, as a grill or a spit, or a fireplace for cooking meat or vegetables over an open fire.

a dressed steer, lamb, or other animal, roasted whole.

a meal, usually in the open air and often as a political or social gathering, at which meats are roasted over an open hearth or pit.

verb (used with object), bar·be·cued, bar·be·cu·ing.

to broil or roast whole or in large pieces over an open fire, on a spit or grill, often seasoning with vinegar, spices, salt, and pepper.

to cook (sliced or diced meat or fish) in a highly seasoned sauce.

verb (used without object), bar·be·cued, bar·be·cu·ing.

to cook by barbecuing or to entertain at a barbecue: If the weather's nice, we'll barbecue in the backyard.

Origin of barbecue

1655–65; < Spanish barbacoa < Arawak (perhaps Taino) barbacoa a raised frame of sticks

Related formsbar·be·cu·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for barbecue

picnic, cookout, grill, broil, sear, party, bake, spit, griddle, fireplace, roaster, broiler, hibachi, fry, charcoal, rotisserie

Examples from the Web for barbecue

Contemporary Examples of barbecue

So, the Southside Smokehouse is more than a barbecue pit, a burger shack, or a Cajun kitchen.
The Ultimate Southern Cheeseburger Created in South Carolina
Jane & Michael Stern
August 10, 2014
We remember that time a flight attendant told us at a barbecue that if the bell tones four times, things are serious.
The Malaysian Air Tragedy Reawakens a Primal Fear
Kelly Williams Brown
July 19, 2014
He went on to open a dry cleaning business, barbecue restaurant, and liquor store.
Donald Sterling and Five Other Members of the Lifetime Ban Club
Nina Strochlic
April 30, 2014
You know the Korean-style barbecue that you wrap in lettuce leaves to eat?
Chang-rae Lee: How I Write
Noah Charney
January 22, 2014
If you need another reason to dine, the barbecue is tasty and the fixins are plentiful.
Delayed? The Best Airport Restaurants to Eat at This Thanksgiving
Brandy Zadrozny
November 27, 2013

Historical Examples of barbecue

I think it was the fellow that shot so well with the rifle at the barbecue––what was his name?
Whispering Smith
Frank H. Spearman
He was at that moment walking past the barbecue pit with George McCloud.
Whispering Smith
Frank H. Spearman
He had instructed his black people to have a barbecue at their quarters.
The Kentucky Ranger
Edward T. Curnick
This barbecue feast was to be eaten after the marriage ceremony was performed.
The Kentucky Ranger
Edward T. Curnick
The father of the young lady you were so attentive to at the barbecue.
Lone Star Planet
Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

British Dictionary definitions for barbecue

barbecue

noun

a meal cooked out of doors over an open fire

an outdoor party or picnic at which barbecued food is served

a grill or fireplace used in barbecuing

the food so cooked

verb -cues, -cuing or -cued (tr)

to cook (meat, fish, etc) on a grill, usually over charcoal and often with a highly seasoned sauce

to cook (meat, fish, etc) in a highly seasoned sauce

Word Origin for barbecue

C17: from American Spanish barbacoa, probably from Taino: frame made of sticks

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

Word Origin and History for barbecue

1650s, "framework for grilling meat, fish, etc.," from American Spanish barbacoa, from Arawakan (Haiti) barbakoa "framework of sticks," the raised wooden structure the Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat. Sense of "outdoor meal of roasted meat or fish as a social entertainment" is from 1733; modern popular noun sense of "grill for cooking over an open fire" is from 1931.

1660s, from barbecue (n.). Related: Barbecued; barbecuing.