broil

[ broil ]

/ brɔɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR broil ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to cook by direct heat, as on a gridiron over the heat or in an oven under the heat; grill: to broil a steak.

to scorch; make very hot.

verb (used without object)

to be subjected to great heat; become broiled.

to burn with impatience, annoyance, etc.

noun

the act or state of broiling; state of being broiled.

something broiled, especially meat: She ordered a beef broil and salad.

Nearby words

brogan, broglie, brogrammer, brogue, broider, broil, broiler, broiler house, brokage, broke, broken

Origin of broil

1300–50; Middle English brulen, brolyn, broillen < Anglo-French bruill(i)er, broil(l)er, Old French brusler, brul(l)er to burn (French brûler), a conflation of the verbs represented by Old French bruir to burn (< Frankish *brōjan; compare Middle High German brü(ej)en, German brühen to scald) and usler < Latin ustulāre to scorch

Related forms

broil·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for broil (2 of 2)

broil

[ broil ]

/ brɔɪl /

noun

an angry quarrel or struggle; disturbance; tumult: a violent broil over who was at fault.

verb (used without object)

to quarrel; brawl.

Origin of broil

1400–50; late Middle English broylen to present in disorder, quarrel < Anglo-French, Old French broiller to jumble together < Gallo-Romance *brodiculāre, equivalent to *brod- (< Germanic; see broth, brewis) + Late Latin -iculāre v. suffix

Related forms

broil·ing·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for broil

But meat is very forgiving; just broil, cut into chunks, put in the slow cooker insert, and pop in the fridge.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup|Megan McArdle|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
From the former, I learned that you can broil pot roast instead of browning it in a skillet.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup|Megan McArdle|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Cook at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes or broil quickly until the brittle has melted to give a smooth covering.
Sweet Brits|Lydia Brownlow|April 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
She started to pick busily, while Walter, taking the fish that had been cleaned, began to broil them over the fire.
The Motor Girls in the Mountains|Margaret Penrose

Season the chops well, roll in oil, then in bread crumbs, and broil.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
Put a few drops of melted butter on each, broil them on a gridiron a light brown, and serve very hot.
French Dishes for American Tables|Pierre Caron
Then turn them and put a small piece of butter in the middle of each, and broil for about ten minutes longer.
Mushrooms: how to grow them|William Falconer
Broil carefully on a buttered gridiron, dot with butter, and serve.
The Myrtle Reed Cook Book|Myrtle Reed

British Dictionary definitions for broil (1 of 2)

broil

/ (brɔɪl) /

verb

mainly US and Canadian to cook (meat, fish, etc) by direct heat, as under a grill or over a hot fire, or (of meat, fish, etc) to be cooked in this wayUsual equivalent (in Britain and other countries): grill

to become or cause to become extremely hot

(intr) to be furious

noun

the process of broiling

something broiled

Word Origin for broil

C14: from Old French bruillir to burn, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for broil (2 of 2)

broil

/ (brɔɪl) archaic /

noun

a loud quarrel or disturbance; brawl

verb

(intr) to brawl; quarrel

Word Origin for broil

C16: from Old French brouiller to mix, from breu broth; see brewis, brose

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