Dictionary.com

skewer

[ skyoo-er ]
/ ˈskyu ər /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: skewer / skewered / skewering on Thesaurus.com

noun
a long pin of wood or metal for inserting through meat or other food to hold or bind it in cooking.
any similar pin for fastening or holding an item in place.
verb (used with object)
to fasten with or as if with a skewer.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of skewer

First recorded in 1670–80; earlier skiver< ?

OTHER WORDS FROM skewer

un·skew·ered, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH skewer

skew, skewer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skewer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skewer

skewer
/ (ˈskjʊə) /

noun
a long pin for holding meat in position while being cooked, etc
a similar pin having some other function
chess a tactical manoeuvre in which an attacked man is made to move and expose another man to capture
verb
(tr) to drive a skewer through or fasten with a skewer

Word Origin for skewer

C17: probably from dialect skiver
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
FEEDBACK