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.
First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She uses tweezers to nestle the roasted halves on a swirl of verdant puree, then tops it off with crispy fried leaves.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026
Its signature breakfast included two sausages, two rashers of bacon and two fried eggs, with sautéed potatoes, baked beans and a grilled tomato for good measure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Sunny side up and fried eggs are also excellent options for when you’re running low on time and need some extra protein ASAP.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
Order a round of fritters, a rum punch and a plate of griot, a citrusy pork dish that is slow-braised and then fried until crisp.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
“Every culture has fried dough,” she says, “because it’s delicious.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
