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braai

American  
[brahy] / braɪ /

noun

braais plural
  1. (South Africa) an outdoor wood-fired grill.

    1. an outdoor wood-fired grill.

    2. meat cooked over an open fire or on an outdoor wood-fired grill.

    3. a social gathering centered around the cooking and eating of grilled food.


verb (used with object)

braaied, braaiing
  1. (South Africa) to cook (food, especially meat or fish) over an open fire or a wood-fired grill.

adjective

  1. (South Africa) relating to the process of cooking food over an open fire or an outdoor wood-fired grill.

braai British  
/ braɪ /

verb

  1. to grill or roast (meat) over open coals

"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

noun

  1. short for braaivleis

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of braai

Afrikaans

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:

For Nathan Visser a friendly braai, the word in South Africa for barbecue, is more than a meal - it's a social tonic.

From BBC Apr. 3, 2023

Try this braai sout, a fragrant dry rub from South Africa, on a juicy T-bone steak.

From New York Times Jan. 4, 2023

Injured in South Africa on the tour, Robbie was isolated in a hotel room awaiting treatment when he was invited to a traditional South African braai in Durban.

From The Guardian Mar. 27, 2020

Will Wisconsin, land of the brat, become land of the braai?

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 25, 2016

Still, if you want to find a restaurant that serves good braai, which means barbecue in the Afrikaans language spoken by many here regardless of race, you have to visit townships like Alexandra.

From Seattle Times Oct. 10, 2014

"We all got our differences and yet somehow braais seem to mitigate that, where we don't care, we all just get along," he says.

From BBC Apr. 3, 2023

There were a lot of braais, a lot of pots of food being lifted over the entry turnstiles, a lot of umbrellas being opened and picnics laid out.

From The New Yorker Sep. 15, 2016

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