- a variation of grille.
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
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grilling
present participle
-
to broil on a gridiron or other apparatus over or before a fire.
- Synonyms:
- barbecue
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to subject to severe and persistent cross-examination or questioning.
- Synonyms:
- probe, interrogate
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to torment with heat.
- Synonyms:
- torture
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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
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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
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See grillroom
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
grillsimple
-
grillssimple
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have grilledperfect
-
has grilledperfect
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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:
The statement was the first chance for Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to grill Burnham on defence spending following headlines on the issue over the summer.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
As orders flood into the restaurant via online food delivery services and a walk-up window, a butcher slices through whole chickens while one cook flips thin slabs of steak and chicken on a grill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Rare is the suburban grill chef who doesn’t keep an instant-read thermometer in his apron pocket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
The potatoes I'd been expecting have apparently either been clarified to an essence or were used to stoke the grill.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
With the sun setting, he leads his team into a hardscrabble neighbourhood where windows are sealed off behind metal grills, and lips are sealed by fear.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
The kitchens are a row of gas burners and open grills set on a concrete slab beneath a sheet of corrugated metal.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Steel grilled Hester about breaking the rules to communicate with Grant, the other cooperating witness, while the two were locked up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
One of its newly added appetizers is a grilled saltbush-crusted kangaroo loin.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
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
It carries enough bright acid to pair with grilled meats and creamy pasta sauces, enough earthiness to complement mushrooms and truffles and a savoriness that plays well with roasted veggies and herb-heavy dishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Some people thought you melted the butter in the pan first to make grilled cheese, then put the sandwich down, but that was wrong because then the butter wouldn’t spread even on the bread.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
"Don't worry about the dog, just answer the question," replied journalist Sarah Ferguson, who was grilling Joyce on his party leader Pauline Hanson's recent meeting with far-right British figurehead Tommy Robinson.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 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
Manchester Farms’ butterflied quail is another fun protein to add to your grilling repertoire.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 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
“Natalie, it looks like everything’s great here. The people of Liberty City came together and they’re sharing what they have and grilling out and listening to music. How is that not good?”
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
