frying pan
Americannoun
-
frying pans
plural
idioms
noun
-
a long-handled shallow pan used for frying
-
from a bad situation to a worse one
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frying pan
1350–1400; Middle English fryinge panne
Compare meaning
How does frying-pan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
I know that’s not easy to predict, but it does seem like an “out of the frying pan, into the fire” sort of situation.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Weather that swings from deep freeze to frying pan.
From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026
Yet the country may be launching out of the frying pan and into the fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
When sunny skies returned, the Olympic skate park — made of concrete and shaped like a bowl — became a giant frying pan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024
The grilled cheese sandwiches were in the frying pan and I was slicing up a tomato when I sensed someone behind me.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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.
