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• grille
  grille

  noun

  a grating or openwork barrier, as for a gate, usually of metal and often of decorative design.
• grillé
  grillé

  adjective

  cooked on a grill; broiled.

grille

¹ American  

[gril] / grɪl /

Or grill

noun

1. a grating or openwork barrier, as for a gate, usually of metal and often of decorative design.

2. an opening, usually covered by grillwork, for admitting air to cool the engine of an automobile or the like; radiator grille.

3. any of various perforated screens, sheets, etc., used to cover something, as on a radio for protecting the amplifier or in cryptography for coding purposes.

4. a ticket window covered by a grating.

5. Court Tennis. a square-shaped winning opening on the hazard side of the court.

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grillé ² American  

[gree-yay] / griˈjeɪ /

Or grillée

adjective

1. cooked on a grill; broiled.

2. Textiles. having an ornamental bar or grate pattern across the open areas of a lace motif.

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grille British  

/ ɡrɪl /

noun

1. Also called: grillwork. a framework, esp of metal bars arranged to form an ornamental pattern, used as a screen or partition

2. Also called: radiator grille. a grating, often chromium-plated, that admits cooling air to the radiator of a motor vehicle

3. a metal or wooden openwork grating used as a screen or divider

4. a protective screen, usually plastic or metal, in front of the loudspeaker in a radio, record player, etc

5. real tennis the opening in one corner of the receiver's end of the court

6. a group of small pyramidal marks impressed in parallel rows into a stamp to prevent reuse

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Other Word Forms

• grilled
  adjective
• ungrilled
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of grille¹

1655–65; < French, Old French < Late Latin *gratīcula, Latin crātīcula (compare Old Provençal grazilha ), diminutive of crātis

Origin of grillé²

1680–90; < French: grilled; see grille

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grille

You’re telling me engineers were chasing fractional gains in aero drag around the wheel wells with that grille hanging in the breeze?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

The Black Badge specification features a dark-anodized grille and hood figurine in the place of chrome brightwork—younger, fresher, more nocturnal, but also nicely understated, which I like.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

Since the theft the museum has taken several emergency measures, including replacing the grille used by the thieves as Des Cars sought to focus on a major "Louvre -- New Renaissance" renovation of the site.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

Swinging the ball and crashing into the toes, pads or grille was, like Johnson, Wasim and so many other left-armers before him, Starc's main approach during the first two-thirds of his career.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026

It always looked freshly washed and waxed, its chrome grille polished.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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Related Words

• framework
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