grill
1 Americannoun
-
a grated utensil for broiling meat, fish, vegetables, etc., over a fire; gridiron.
-
a dish of grilled meat, fish, etc.
-
Philately. a group of small pyramidal marks, embossed or impressed in parallel rows on certain U.S. and Peruvian stamps of the late 19th century to prevent erasure of cancellation marks.
verb (used with object)
-
grills,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grilled,
past participle, past
-
grilling
present participle
-
to broil on a gridiron or other apparatus over or before a fire.
- Synonyms:
- barbecue
-
to subject to severe and persistent cross-examination or questioning.
- Synonyms:
- probe, interrogate
-
to torment with heat.
- Synonyms:
- torture
-
to mark with a series of parallel bars like those of a grill.
verb (used without object)
-
grills,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grilled,
past participle, past
-
grilling
present participle
noun
verb
-
Usual US and Canadian word: broil. to cook (meat, fish, etc) by direct heat, as under a grill or over a hot fire, or (of meat, fish, etc) to be cooked in this way
-
(tr; usually passive) to torment with or as if with extreme heat
the travellers were grilled by the scorching sun
-
informal (tr) to subject to insistent or prolonged questioning
noun
-
a device with parallel bars of thin metal on which meat, fish, etc, may be cooked by a fire; gridiron
-
a device on a cooker that radiates heat downwards for grilling meat, fish, etc
-
food cooked by grilling
-
See grillroom
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
grillsimple
-
grillssimple
-
have grilledperfect
-
has grilledperfect
-
am grillingprogressive
-
are grillingprogressive
-
is grillingprogressive
-
have been grillingperfect progressive
-
has been grillingperfect progressive
Past
-
grilledsimple
-
had grilledperfect
-
was grillingprogressive
-
were grillingprogressive
-
had been grillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grill
1660–70; 1890–95 grill 1 for def. 6; < French gril gridiron ≪ Latin crātīculum, creātīculō, diminutive of crātis wickerwork, hurdle. See grille
Explanation
Not all grilling involves fire and delicious food. Sometimes, to grill means to ask a person really intense questions, like when you suspect them of doing something wrong and you want to make them confess the truth. Ever seen a film where a police officer puts a bright light in a criminal’s face and screams, “Did you do it?” That’s how you grill someone. You have to be tough on him, and not let him off the hook too easily. Being grilled means you are in the “hot seat,” and it’ll feel like you’re cooking from such a close examination. Better to grill than be grilled, but if you get caught — think of an alibi, quick!
Vocabulary lists containing grill
Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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The Poet X
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Inquire Within: Synoynms for "Ask"
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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:
"This summer has become so hot that I feel like meat on the grill," the app's developer Yu Min-jun told BBC Korean.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
A super complex wine for the price, drink it on its own or with whatever’s on the grill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Eisenman suggests putting a bowl of ice, or frozen bottles of water, in front of a fan grill to create a “misting experience.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
US lawmakers are expected to grill him over progress on lowering inflation in the world's biggest economy, among other issues.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
There was a charcoal grill in the middle of the garden, the big round kind that looked like a miniature red Starbase.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Possibly singed and mostly sandy, they storm the Mediterranean and return to their grills wet, steaming, and triumphant.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Hunched over sizzling grills and shrouded in smoke, trainees at the Yueyang Barbecue Academy in southern China roast skewer after skewer of succulent beef tendon, perfecting the skills that could land them a restaurant job.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
This July 4, millions of Americans will fire up their grills and cook plenty of burgers and steaks.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Outdoor cooking has never been more confusing, what with pellet smokers that call themselves grills and charcoal grills that require electricity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Across the street at Patio’s, a man in a white apron grills sausages.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Schulman said he had been seeing “a consistent trade into premium proteins,” like pomegranate-glazed salmon or grilled steak, regardless of income bracket.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
At the civil trial in Burbank, just months after the criminal acquittal, Dubin grilled the 72-year-old actor on the stand for seven days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
If I don't qualify then I'm going to get grilled and if I do, I'll get grilled anyway.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Unlike grilled Caesar salad, Lawson’s riff on a classic is essentially baked lettuce.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
The scents of grilled meats, savory sauces, and sugar hang in the air like sweet fog.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin mounted a lengthy defence of the government's response during a grilling before the Belgian parliament on Thursday afternoon.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Summer also happens to be peak grilling season.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Rapport matters, and if you don’t have confidence in this guy when you are done politely grilling him like a hamburger on the Fourth of July, move on to someone who does.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
And before Cretton could come back to his notes, Kingsley turned the tables and began grilling him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"Not all of us want to spend our lives grilling kebabs."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
