gridiron

[ grid-ahy-ern ]

/ ˈgrɪdˌaɪ ərn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gridiron ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a football field.

a utensil consisting of parallel metal bars on which to broil meat or other food.

any framework or network resembling a gridiron.

a structure above the stage of a theater, from which hung scenery and the like are manipulated.

verb (used with object)

to mark off into squares or design with a network of squares.

Nearby words

gridder, griddle, griddlebread, griddlecake, gride, gridiron, gridiron pendulum, gridiron-tailed lizard, gridlock, grief, grief-stricken

Origin of gridiron

1250–1300; Middle English gridirne, gridir(e), gridere, variant of gridel griddle; variants in -irne, -ire, etc. are associated by folk etymology with ModE variant irne, ire iron

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gridiron

This opponent is like no other Rodgers has to face on the gridiron.
Aaron Rodgers Takes Aim at Congo’s ‘Blood Minerals’ War|John Prendergast|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Back then, every single newspaper, website, and news show (even the fake news shows) was awash in gridiron scandal.
How the Media Failed to Nail the NFL|Steve Almond|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Doing well at the Gridiron is a rite of passage that not everybody survives.
The GOP’s Comedy Gap|Eleanor Clift|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How an economist views the game and the evidence from XLVII years on the gridiron.
Want a Super Bowl Boost for the Economy? Root for Seattle.|Mark Lieberman|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But if you think the gridiron arts can shake up the grey matter, try the prize ring.
Boxers, Be Brave and Quit Before Your Brain Turns to Mush|Gordon Marino|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cut rather thin, lay on a gridiron over hot coals; when hot through, lay on a dish, and pepper well.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia|Marion Cabell Tyree
Back up the gridiron presently, Kenwood kicking on the second down.
Full-Back Foster|Ralph Henry Barbour
The business of the gridiron may be done by a Dutch oven, when occasion requires.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
It grew and grew till it showed as a horse, with a sort of gridiron thing on his back.
The Works of Rudyard Kipling: One Volume Edition|Rudyard Kipling
They were soon in their suits and out on the gridiron practicing.
Dick Hamilton's Football Team|Howard R. Garis

British Dictionary definitions for gridiron

gridiron

/ (ˈɡrɪdˌaɪən) /

noun

a utensil of parallel metal bars, used to grill meat, fish, etc

any framework resembling this utensil

a framework above the stage in a theatre from which suspended scenery, lights, etc, are manipulated

the field of play in American football
an informal name for American football
(as modifier)a gridiron hero

Often shortened to: grid

Word Origin for gridiron

C13 gredire, perhaps variant (through influence of ire iron) of gredile griddle

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