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deep-fry

American  
[deep-frahy] / ˈdipˈfraɪ /

verb (used with object)

  • deep-fries,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • deep-fried,
    past participle,  past
  • deep-frying
    present participle
  1. to fry in a quantity of fat sufficient to cover the food being cooked.


deep-fry British  

verb

  1. to cook (fish, potatoes, etc) in sufficient hot fat to cover the food entirely

"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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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

Since we don’t deep-fry them, there’s no need to roll the filled tortillas into tubes; spooning the filling over one half of a flour tortilla and folding it over will do.

From Washington Times Jul. 24, 2023

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

Heat until a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer registers 350 degrees.

From Washington Post Sep. 15, 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

Katsu Burger, which deep-fries its patties, opens its ninth branch, in Kent.

From Seattle Times Aug. 28, 2021

Judy Friedman, 80, looked forward to the turkey that her son deep-fries on her favorite holiday of the year.

From Washington Post Nov. 25, 2020

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

He made a big steak sandwich, and I made a sort of a deep-fried chicken with rice and Japanese things.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 26, 2026

Mr Crook said he was considering selling kibbeling - a Dutch snack of deep-fried, battered pieces of white fish, often served with a dipping sauce.

From BBC Nov. 21, 2025

“Thanksgiving isn’t one menu anymore. It’s about creating a table that reflects you. Maybe it’s your mom’s apple pie, but maybe it’s a Texas deep-fried turkey or a New Orleans turducken.”

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 15, 2025

The theatre itself has also changed little, its vintage charm intact with counters serving steaming cups of tea and deep-fried samosa snacks.

From Barron's Oct. 19, 2025

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s the familiar and fragrant scent of yesterday’s french fries and deep-fried chicken nuggets.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

It’s an oven-baked, yogurt-dipped, breadcrumb-coated situation designed to deliver crunch without deep-frying — very 1994, very earnest, very effective.

From Salon Feb. 24, 2026

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

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

I fumblingly jabbed the pen back in its hole and scooted out, deep-frying in embarrassment.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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