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.
Fried foods featured in my quiz included the fried pork tenderloin sandwich, which was popularized in Indiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The transformation is visible everywhere: from supermarket shelves stocked with ultra-processed foods to pizzerias selling slices piled high with chips, sausages and fried snacks.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
His truck, selling hot dogs, empanadas and fried shrimp, runs on rechargeable batteries as part of a city pilot aimed at cutting harmful noise and air pollution by harnessing electric energy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
The fascinating tale of how the U.S. earned its reputation for decadent fried food: Quick, close your eyes and think of the most American dish you can.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
We built up the fire and, naturally starved, thought we’d try one piece each of Tansy’s fried chicken.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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
It’s locked up like the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026
“I can’t suddenly switch things up and make something different. I know how to make tofu dishes. Fried tofu. Tofu dumplings. I couldn’t make pork cutlet.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Fried chicken, boiled potatoes, and frozen green peas.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
