marinate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
marinates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
marinated,
past participle, past
-
marinating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
marinatesimple
-
marinatessimple
-
have marinatedperfect
-
has marinatedperfect
-
am marinatingprogressive
-
are marinatingprogressive
-
is marinatingprogressive
-
have been marinatingperfect progressive
-
has been marinatingperfect progressive
Past
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marinatedsimple
-
had marinatedperfect
-
was marinatingprogressive
-
were marinatingprogressive
-
had been marinatingperfect progressive
Future
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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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:
The staff had about a week to prepare a cut of meat that ideally needed a week to marinate and cook.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
Forget everything else about Thursday’s match against Turkey at SoFi Stadium and marinate on that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
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
Koffi let the word marinate in her head.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Every origin story marinates in wishful thinking that haunts us to the end of our days.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2025
The deeply savory sun-dried tomato and basil vinaigrette marinates the chicken, to keep it tender when stir-fried, and doubles as a sauce for the orzo and feta.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2022
Make the salad dressing: While the chicken marinates, in a medium bowl, whisk together the anchovies, garlic, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, honey and pepper until thoroughly combined.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 28, 2022
Thomas Kail compared Mr. Rockwell to a jazz musician, who only makes surprising riffs after “he takes every scene and examines it and scrutinizes it and marinates in it.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2019
Now behold water-spouts vomiting as they rush over the pavements, and rubbish marinates in puddles that fill the holes scooped out of the macadam.
From Against the Grain by J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans
Another announces, with delight, “I made these incredible marinated white beans and put them on toast.”
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026
The app has boosted lesser-known businesses and sent tourists in droves to unconventional locations such as Zibo, a quiet industrial city in Shandong, after its cheap, marinated barbecue skewers went viral.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The marinated and charbroiled chicken shawarma—which Winnebago drivers can order in a party-platter size for $89.99—is a highlight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
It’s billed as different from “your average rib sandwich,” with ribs that have been hand-deboned, marinated in a proprietary barbecue-sauce blend with apple-cider vinegar, then slow-cooked for nine hours.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
Tender freshwater shrimp garnished with cream and rose leaves, devilled barley pearls in acorn purée, apple and carrot chews, marinated cabbage stalks steeped in creamed white turnip with nutmeg.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
In the classroom, trainees crowded around instructor Luo Duocheng as he demonstrated slicing a slab of beef, marinating it, and skewering the meat to form identical kebabs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
This isn’t Tom Brady marinating on an Eames chair for six weeks before deciding to give football another go.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Do any marinating in the refrigerator, not on the countertop — it’s a myth that acidic marinades kill bacteria.
From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2024
We’re marinating on some ideas to cook something up for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
I had fish marinating for dinner, with a salad and bread left over from the night before, so there was nothing to do there.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
