marinade
Americannoun
-
a seasoned liquid, usually of vinegar or wine with oil, herbs, spices, etc., in which meat, fish, vegetables, etc., are steeped before cooking.
-
meat, fish, vegetables, etc., steeped in it.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a spiced liquid mixture of oil, wine, vinegar, herbs, etc, in which meat or fish is soaked before cooking
-
meat or fish soaked in this liquid
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
marinadesimple
-
marinadessimple
-
have marinadedperfect
-
has marinadedperfect
-
am marinadingprogressive
-
are marinadingprogressive
-
is marinadingprogressive
-
have been marinadingperfect progressive
-
has been marinadingperfect progressive
Past
-
marinadedsimple
-
had marinadedperfect
-
was marinadingprogressive
-
were marinadingprogressive
-
had been marinadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of marinade
1675–85; < French < Provençal marinado, noun use of feminine past participle of mariná to cure meat or fish in brine, verbal derivative of marin marine
Explanation
A marinade is a flavorful liquid that food is soaked in before being cooked. Before grilling chicken, you should let the meat sit in a marinade. Most marinades include spices, oil, and something acidic, like lemon juice or vinegar. Some recipes call for leaving food in a marinade briefly, while others instruct you to leave food in a marinade for days. This is a good way to make a tough cut of meat more tender. When you use a marinade, you marinate — both words come from the French mariner, "to pickle in sea brine," from the Latin marinus, "of the sea."
Vocabulary lists containing marinade
Mardi Gras: Food
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With the Fire on High
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Mexikid
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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:
Olive brine is already packed with salt and acidity, which means it’s doing a lot of the heavy lifting required for a good marinade.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
It initially hit the right sweet, slightly piquant notes that al pastor meat should — but the flavor quickly dissipated because the marinade hadn’t soaked through the chicken chunks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
The miso mayo is great as a marinade for steak or chicken thighs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
Use as a marinade for vegetables or meat.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2025
The Eastern European immigrant in a neighborhood delicatessen speaks to me through a marinade of sounds, but I respond to his words.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
It’s packed with salt, acidity and concentrated olive flavor that can add depth to everything from marinades to bread dough.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
One butcher said all his meat, marinades and spices had been taken away to be checked.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
Dijon mustard can bring a flavorful kick to marinades, dressings and sauces, and so can fresh or dried herbs, such as basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley and cilantro.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
China Chilcano's chefs said the product behaved very similarly to conventional chicken and offered some improvements, like rapid absorption of marinades.
From Reuters ● Jul. 20, 2023
Because they are skinless, they absorb marinades well, but should be turned and basted often to keep the meat moist.
From The Perdue Chicken Cookbook by Perdue, Mitzi
Chipotle’s chicken al pastor, which is marinaded in morita peppers, ground achiote and pineapple, debuted in March 2023.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
I remember dum biryani as a multi-day affair, involving meat marinaded in spices, then soaked in yoghurt and cooked slowly, underneath a pastry lid.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 1, 2017
Nothing screams "I Love You" more than enjoying a gut-destroying dinner of Southern-style ribs, marinaded in the scent of fellow sweat-soaked patrons from Augusta National.
From Golf Digest ● Mar. 13, 2017
Anwar picks a peshwari kebab of lamb marinaded in yoghurt and garlic.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2012
Stir it over the fire, mixing well till the sauce becomes brown, and then put in your marinaded pieces of rabbit.
From The Belgian Cookbook by Various
There is no law stating a maximum number of hours for which these pickles should remain marinading.
From Salon ● May 10, 2025
The artist’s adult-sized gingerbread house in one of the galleries will likely generate all manner of chatter, but the poignant works of video, assemblage and drawing will be worth marinading in too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2019
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.
