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
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.
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
Sukutli uses a Turkish-inspired yogurt marinade to flavor his bird.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025
Fresh asparagus first gets a blanch, then an ice bath, before taking a relaxing soak in an old-fashioned tasting, bread-and-butter pickle type of marinade.
From Salon • May 10, 2025
Use as a marinade for vegetables or meat.
From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025
It is braised short ribs that have been stewed in a delicious marinade until the meat falls off the bones.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
