grill

¹ American  

[gril] / grɪl /

noun

1. a grated utensil for broiling meat, fish, vegetables, etc., over a fire; gridiron.

2. a dish of grilled meat, fish, etc.

3. grillroom.

4. 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.

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verb (used with object)

1. to broil on a gridiron or other apparatus over or before a fire.

   Synonyms:

   barbecue

2. to subject to severe and persistent cross-examination or questioning.

   Synonyms:

   probe, interrogate

3. to torment with heat.

   Synonyms:

   torture

4. to mark with a series of parallel bars like those of a grill.

verb (used without object)

1. to undergo broiling.

grill ² American  

[gril] / grɪl /

noun

1. grille.

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grill ¹ British  

/ ɡrɪl /

verb

1. 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

2. (tr; usually passive) to torment with or as if with extreme heat

   the travellers were grilled by the scorching sun

3. informal (tr) to subject to insistent or prolonged questioning

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noun

1. a device with parallel bars of thin metal on which meat, fish, etc, may be cooked by a fire; gridiron

2. a device on a cooker that radiates heat downwards for grilling meat, fish, etc

3. food cooked by grilling

4. See grillroom

grill ² British  

/ ɡrɪl /

noun

1. a variant spelling of grille

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Other Word Forms

• griller noun

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

Example Sentences

Nearby, a man fanned skewers sizzling on a barbecue grill while a couple played badminton and retirees sang cheerfully on a park bench.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

The fridge lies empty, the electric stove is not working, and the only available cooking method is a small charcoal grill her husband built.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

While working at a Bennigan’s in the early 1980s, he pitched the bar and grill chain’s CEO on his ideas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

I grill a lot, so I’ll do steaks or lamb chops or chicken wings.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

They sit around the grill in a half-circle while the chef chops madly and simmers the beef and vegetables on the grill and makes the jokes he’s likely made a hundred times.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• barbecue
• roast
• sear