gridiron

American  

[grid-ahy-ern] / ˈgrɪdˌaɪ ərn /

noun

1. a football field.

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

3. any framework or network resembling a gridiron.

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

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verb (used with object)

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

gridiron British  

/ ˈɡrɪdˌaɪən /

noun

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

2. any framework resembling this utensil

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

4. 1. the field of play in American football

   2. an informal name for American football

   3. ( as modifier )

      a gridiron hero

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

No one else on the gridiron was big enough or fast enough to guard a 6-foot-5 speed demon whose leaps defied gravity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tickets for the gridiron finale start at around $6,000, making them out of reach for the vast majority of undocumented people, who tend to work in low-paying jobs.

From Barron's

The transition from the gridiron to the regular grind has been seamless.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, as the sport’s leaders wonder how many other Cignettis might be out there laboring in gridiron hinterlands, the real Cignetti is simply reloading for next season.

From The Wall Street Journal

Phil Knight, who bankrolls Oregon, turned Nike into an intercontinental empire that transformed the Ducks into a gridiron behemoth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• course
• court
• golf course
• green
• park
• range
• stadium
• terrain
• track
• turf