poutine

American

[poo-teen] / puˈtin /

noun

an appetizer or dish of French Canadian origin consisting of French fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy.

poutine British

/ puːˈtiːn /

noun

a dish of chipped potatoes topped with curd cheese and a tomato-based sauce

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of poutine

First recorded in 1955–65 in Canadian French, and in 1980–85 in Canadian English; further origin uncertain

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.

As much as they respected his playing résumé, Canadiens fans looked at the St. Louis hire with the horror of watching someone put ketchup on their poutine.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Classic moves lean umami-heavy: think beefy gravy for a poutine and disco fries, chili for the diner classic.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2025

The menu has also expanded, with fancier-feeling dishes like Jameson crab bisque, a seared ahi tuna sandwich and a prime rib banh mi joining old AC favorites like poutine and fish and chips.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

A couple from Benin has taken over Chez Morasse, a city institution that introduced a greasy spoon favorite, poutine, to this region.

From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2024

I always get the fries with extra ketchup and an iced tea; Zara gets the double-loaded poutine with a diet Coke.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023