deep-fry
Americanverb (used with object)
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deep-fries,
present (3rd person singular)
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deep-fried,
past participle, past
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deep-frying
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deep-frysimple
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deep-friessimple
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have deep-friedperfect
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has deep-friedperfect
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am deep-fryingprogressive
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are deep-fryingprogressive
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is deep-fryingprogressive
-
have been deep-fryingperfect progressive
-
has been deep-fryingperfect progressive
Past
-
deep-friedsimple
-
had deep-friedperfect
-
was deep-fryingprogressive
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were deep-fryingprogressive
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had been deep-fryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deep-fry
First recorded in 1930–35
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:
It’s not like one of those vegan places that’s trying to trick you or deep-fry their way around things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026
Clip a deep-fry thermometer to its side and heat the lard over high heat to 360°F.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023
Batter, deep-fry or drenched in butter, shrimp quickly go from healthy to decidedly not.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 1, 2021
You don't need to deep-fry to get that golden brown result; panfrying is fast and cleanup-friendly to boot.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2021
Why didn’t we like the thick fatty pig skin that she would deep-fry so long that it tasted like rubber?
From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat
But Shokunbi is putting a West African spin on wings, which he deep-fries, coats in a hot-honey sauce and then sprinkles with suya spice.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2022
Katsu Burger, which deep-fries its patties, opens its ninth branch, in Kent.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2021
Inside the restaurant, chef Yoram Getter deep-fries falafel balls as Levi Gold observes from a distance, while Cameron Clark, another new trainee, wipes down a marbletop table.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 18, 2020
These days, Smith doesn’t actually “roast” his potatoes at all; he deep-fries them.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 23, 2019
Just the sound of it makes you shudder — one imagines something dank and livery from the guy who deep-fries Twinkies and sticks of butter at the county fair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2015
As part of the changes, deep-fried chips will have to be oven-baked instead, and pasta dishes will need to be 50% wholewheat once a week.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
The only way it could be any more American is if it came deep-fried on a stick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
KFC in Japan is gearing up for the Christmas tradition of millions of families thronging the US fast-food chain for special festive buckets of deep-fried chicken and other treats.
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
Next, a little deep-fried quail leg, crisp and savory, like a miniature Southern Colonel’s specialty or Bill Gorton’s riverside treat, paired with a sharp aioli.
From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025
We ate hot beef sausages served on split buns and slathered with whole-grain mustard, followed by deep-fried knishes stuffed with mashed potatoes and caramelized onions.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
There is deep-frying and liberal use of butter, sugar and bacon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Restaurants that are not big chains running their food through conveyor-belt ovens, deep-frying everything, mandating how their employees talk to me.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2025
Pan-frying was highest, followed by stir-frying, then deep-frying.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
And when deep-frying or pan-frying, starting with an empty pan and superhot oil is integral to the cooking process.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2024
Dad makes that tiny sound that means Oh please Vera don’t make me go against every grain in my hippie freak body and make me give my money to those horrible corporate deep-frying bastards.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
