marinate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of marinate
1635–45; probably < Italian marinato, past participle of marinare to pickle. See marine, -ate 1
Explanation
When you marinate food, you let it sit in a flavorful liquid before cooking it. You might marinate fish in soy sauce before putting it on the grill. The liquid used to marinate meat, fish, or vegetables is called a "marinade," and it usually includes some acidic ingredient like lemon juice or vinegar that helps the flavors penetrate the food. When you marinate chicken or tofu or beef, it becomes more moist and delicious after you cook it. The French root, mariner, means "to pickle in sea brine."
Vocabulary lists containing marinate
A Culinary Vocabulary Sampler
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Everything, Everything
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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.
No, I will take full accountability and marinate in my stupidity.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
"Sometimes a song needs to marinate for a year, six months, it can take some time," she says.
From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025
Gabriela Jaquez made sure to marinate in this moment, bouncing gleefully toward half-court while her teammates formed a joyous mob.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2025
Mark's choice leaves us to marinate on all the possible consequences of that and all the other action.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2025
I unload the groceries, marinate the steaks, cook the rice, and set the table.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
