fried
adjective
cooked in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil.
fried
1 American
[frahyd]
/ fraɪd /
adjective
-
cooked in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil.
-
Slang.
-
intoxicated from drugs; high.
-
exhausted or incapacitated through intemperance; burned-out.
verb
Fried
2
American
[freed, fr eet]
/ frid, frit /
noun
fried
British
/ fraɪd /
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fried
First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective
Explanation
Things that are fried are cooked in very hot fat or oil. You can order fried rice at a Chinese restaurant, or fried clams at your favorite seafood place. Some foods are lightly stir fried, while others are submerged in boiling oil and deep fried. At a state fair, there are offerings including fried dough and fried chicken, and it's even possible to eat fried candy bars or fried ice cream. Colloquially, someone who's exhausted might say, "I'm totally fried." Fried comes from the verb fry, which has the Latin root frigere, both "to fry" and "to roast."
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:
Thai food greeted Navarrete at the office — red curry, fried rice, drunken noodles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
When the Filipino company, famous for fried chicken, burgers and spaghetti, first announced the spinoff plan in January, it had said it was considering listing the international business on a U.S. securities exchange.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
"We have jerk pork, we have rice and peas, we have jerk chicken, curry goat, stewed chicken, fried dumpling and plantain," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
On one night, I’d empty a pack into a hot skillet, let the sausage crisp at the edges and spoon everything over spiced rice with a fried egg and a mess of fresh herbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
For breakfast they ate fruits and fried empanadas stuffed with salty cheese and covered in crystal sugar.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Fried arrived after Montclair Prep canceled its sports program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
He also raved about chicken fried steak, posting on X: “Every Scottish person in America needs to immediately try Chicken Fried Steak, and you’ll realise we and the Americans are kindred spirits.”
From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026
The influence of the Queen City is ubiquitous: The fast food is Skyline Chili, not Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the Reds and Bengals are as important as the Wildcats.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
Brands YUM 0.83%increase; green up pointing triangle posted higher revenue in the first quarter, driven by growth at its chains Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Fried chicken and meat loaf were more up her alley.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
