lard
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to apply lard or grease to.
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to prepare or enrich (lean meat, chicken, etc.) with pork or fat, especially with lardons.
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to supplement or enrich with something for improvement or ornamentation.
a literary work larded with mythological allusions.
noun
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the rendered fat from a pig, esp from the abdomen, used in cooking
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informal excess fat on a person's body
verb
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to prepare (lean meat, poultry, etc) by inserting small strips of bacon or fat before cooking
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to cover or smear (foods) with lard
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to add extra material to (speech or writing); embellish
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lard
1300–50; Middle English (v.), late Middle English (noun) < Middle French larder (v.), lard (noun) < Latin lār ( i ) dum bacon fat; akin to Greek lārīnós fat (adj.)
Explanation
Lard is rendered animal fat that's used for cooking. Although many bakers use butter or vegetable shortening in their pie crust, others swear by the rich flavor of lard. Lard is a white fat that comes from pigs. In some places, it's not uncommon to spread lard on bread instead of butter, and many cooks appreciate its ability to get extremely hot without burning and its savory flavor. Lard is also commonly used as a verb to mean "fill with unnecessary details," the way a student might lard an essay with impressive vocabulary words to disguise the fact that it was hastily written right before class.
Vocabulary lists containing lard
Save Me a Seat
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A Culinary Vocabulary Sampler
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The Odyssey
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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.
"We just put lard on them and it takes off. I'm laughing, but it's how it is," he told AFP during a visit of the company factory.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
Those who lived in the countryside were more likely to cherish memories of lard than olive oil; having a pig to slaughter could get a struggling family through the year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
"They get huge volumes of cod liver oil, lard, salmon oil and get oily fish like sardines, mackerel and salmon."
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025
They whipped whitefish, blueberries and lard into a traditional Alaska Native dessert, and dolloped servings onto a paper plate, setting it in the flames to feed her spirit.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 29, 2024
She filled the percolator with water and coffee grounds, lit the oven with trembling fingers, and cut lard into flour for biscuits.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
