skewer

American  

[skyoo-er] / ˈskyu ər /

noun

1. a long pin of wood or metal for inserting through meat or other food to hold or bind it in cooking.

2. any similar pin for fastening or holding an item in place.

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verb (used with object)

1. to fasten with or as if with a skewer.

skewer British  

/ ˈskjʊə /

noun

1. a long pin for holding meat in position while being cooked, etc

2. a similar pin having some other function

3. chess a tactical manoeuvre in which an attacked man is made to move and expose another man to capture

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verb

1. (tr) to drive a skewer through or fasten with a skewer

Other Word Forms

• unskewered adjective

Etymology

Origin of skewer

First recorded in 1670–80; earlier skiver < ?

Example Sentences

Since they formed in 2019, the artists have gained an international reputation for employing the slick tropes of marketing and fashion to playfully skewer consumerism and supply-chain systems.

From The Wall Street Journal

That means everything from their facial expressions to the size of the bite are replayed, scrutinized or skewered by millions.

From The Wall Street Journal

The scene that best defines the story’s idealism happens long before Dunk gets clunked in the head or skewered by a lance.

From Salon

They dined on famed North Korean cold noodles or grilled lamb skewers washed down with cold beers.

From The Wall Street Journal

I start filling my own plate with anything that will fit—salmon skewers, cubed potatoes, roasted corn, and garlic bread.

From Literature