pickle

¹ American  

[pik-uhl] / ˈpɪk əl /

noun

1. a cucumber that has been preserved in brine, vinegar, or the like.

2. Often pickles any other vegetable, as cauliflower, celery, etc., preserved in vinegar and eaten as a relish.

3. something preserved in a brine or marinade.

4. a liquid usually prepared with salt or vinegar for preserving or flavoring fish, meat, vegetables, etc.; brine or marinade.

5. Metallurgy. an acid or other chemical solution in which metal objects are dipped to remove oxide scale or other adhering substances.

6. Informal. a troublesome or awkward situation; predicament.

   I was in a pickle after the check bounced.

   Synonyms:

   jam, scrape, bind, fix, quandary, plight

7. Informal. a sour, disagreeable person.

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verb (used with object)

• pickles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pickled,
  past participle,  past
• pickling
  present participle

1. to preserve or steep in brine or other liquid.

2. to treat with a chemical solution, as for the purpose of cleaning.

3. to give a pale, streaked finish to (wood) by applying and partly removing paint or by bleaching, as to give an appearance of age.

4. Slang. to store; prepare for long-range storage.

   Let's pickle these old cars for a few years.

pickle ² American  

[pik-uhl] / ˈpɪk əl /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a single grain or kernel, as of barley or corn.

2. a small amount; a little.

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pickle British  

/ ˈpɪkəl /

noun

1. (often plural) vegetables, such as cauliflowers, onions, etc, preserved in vinegar, brine, etc

2. any food preserved in this way

3. a liquid or marinade, such as spiced vinegar, for preserving vegetables, meat, fish, etc

4. a cucumber that has been preserved and flavoured in a pickling solution, such as brine or vinegar

5. informal an awkward or difficult situation

   to be in a pickle

6. informal a mischievous child

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verb

1. to preserve in a pickling liquid

2. to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale

pickle Idioms  

1. see in a fix (pickle).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pickler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pickling
  present
• pickled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pickle
  simple
• pickles
  simple
• have pickled
  perfect
• has pickled
  perfect
• am pickling
  progressive
• are pickling
  progressive
• is pickling
  progressive
• have been pickling
  perfect progressive
• has been pickling
  perfect progressive

Past

• pickled
  simple
• had pickled
  perfect
• was pickling
  progressive
• were pickling
  progressive
• had been pickling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pickle
  simple
• will have pickled
  perfect
• will be pickling
  progressive
• will have been pickling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of pickle¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pikel, pikkel “spicy sauce or gravy,” from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pekel(e), peeckel “brine, pickle”

Origin of pickle²

First recorded in 1545–55; of uncertain origin; perhaps noun use of pickle “to take tiny bits of food in eating,” frequentative of pick ¹; see -le

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Explanation

A pickle is a food that's made by soaking vegetables in brine or vinegar. If you are wondering what that crunchy green wedge beside your sandwich is, it just may be a pickle. While the most familiar pickles in the US are the thin disks or small, crunchy pickled cucumbers you can buy in jars, there are many other kinds of pickles. You can pickle just about any vegetable, from beets to okra to cucumbers — or even hard boiled eggs. In South Asian cuisines, pickle is a delicious spicy relish served aside many dishes. And if you find yourself in a really messy situation, you can say, "Wow, what a pickle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pickle pickles pickled pickling

Burgers are available, with accompanying plastic bags that include lettuce, tomato, and pickle, to allow attendees to individually dress their sandwiches.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

I’ll add some capers or a pickle or two, then you have a sandwich for the rest of the day or into the next morning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Expanding on his pessimism around the AI trade, Klement told MarketWatch that, in essence, the market put itself into a bit of a capex pickle.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

In Chicago, we have a phrase for what happens to a hot dog after it has been loaded with tomatoes, onions, peppers and pickle: it’s been “dragged through the garden.”

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

Now he’s the pickle on my plate next to the cafeteria’s limp grilled cheese sandwich.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

"I'm sure, for other businesses though, they would have loved to have seen some other things that aren't pickles, because I think pickles can be quite niche."

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Veggies, salads, pizza, wings, fries, caviar, pickles, cottage cheese, ice cream—they’re all eminently ranchable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

On the plate, it’s a half pound of Wagyu brisket smothered in pickles and Mornay sauce, all cradled in freshly made pita bread.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The pickle juice lingering in a jar long after the pickles are gone.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

They also feasted on ham and sausages, canned milk, biscuits, coffee, pickles, parsnips, and peaches.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Although there’s no indication that Mr. Kidd is pickled in drink, it’s clear that he’s intoxicated with the idea of Oxbridge, the portmanteau that describes the elite world of Oxford and Cambridge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

I took a bite of the buttery Texas toast and the crinkle-cut fries, then dipped them into the creamy, peppery Cane’s Sauce, which tasted something like pickled ranch.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

"We have ham, pickled garlic, tahini, and stinky tofu and liquor. Just below my office is a shop whose speciality is vodka, foie gras and apple in one scoop," says Yan.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

For this cold noodle dish from Gu Grocery, blend toasted sesame seeds with soy sauce, rice vinegar, pickled mustard greens, and orange zest and juice for maximum flavor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

In the mornings she went to a deli and bought a baguette and little containers of things Dev liked to eat, like pickled herring, and potato salad, and tortes of pesto and mascarpone cheese.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Over in the 6th at Stand, Hungary’s only Michelin 2-star restaurant, executive chef Tamás Széll, in business here since 2018, sets his pickling sites on elderflowers, served with baked kohlrabi, razor clams and green apple.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Still, I thought Klapper might tell me to stop pickling, but he didn’t.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

"My life changed just from pickling a cucumber," Maddi Neye-Swift told the BBC as she picked up her award for food creator of the year.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2024

This means you’ll have lots of peppers available for canning, pickling and serving roasted and stuffed to large groups of guests.

From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024

“Holmes’ idea was evidently to guard his remains in every way from scientific enterprise, from the pickling vat and the knife,” the Public Ledger reported.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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