fried
adjective
cooked in a pan or on a griddle over direct heat, usually in fat or oil.
fried
1 American
[frahyd]
/ fraɪd /
adjective
-
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.
verb
Fried
2
American
[freed, fr eet]
/ frid, frit /
noun
fried
British
/ fraɪd /
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fried
First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective
Explanation
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."
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.
See Examples For:
Industrial trans fats, which can be present in some processed and fried foods, have been strongly linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Restaurant owners have been attracted by the ease with which they can use AI to create images of sandwiches, fried chicken and salads, among other dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Sporting a futuristic leather-textured suit, Lady Gaga can be seen working behind the counter, offering fried chicken to customers and restocking bottled tea in the video clip released on Friday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Soybean oil appears in salad dressings, mayonnaise, baked goods, infant formula, snacks and fried foods; soy lecithin emulsifies chocolate and bread; and soy protein fortifies energy bars, breakfast cereals and canned soup.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The auntie picked up a larger piece that Maggie had fried for Indian tacos.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Fried fast foods were also linked to a larger decline in hippocampal volume.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Their rotation led the major leagues with a 3.30 ERA, despite Fried, longtime ace Gerrit Cole and star lefty Carlos Rodón all missing time with injuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Fried has had two arduous IL stints dealing with a bone bruise on his left elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
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
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.
