teriyaki
Americannoun
adjective
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of teriyaki
1960–65; < Japanese, equivalent to teri glaze + yaki broil
Explanation
Teriyaki is a Japanese dish of meat or seafood glazed in a savory sauce and cooked on a grill. You can find chicken or beef teriyaki on the menu at many Chinese and Korean restaurants too. In the West, teriyaki is often made with a thick, sweet marinade, and you can even buy teriyaki sauce to pour on meat, fish, vegetables, or rice. In Japan, the dish usually consists of meat or fish basted with a thinner mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, and sake, and grilled. The word teriyaki comes from teri, “to shine,” and yaki, "to grill.”
Vocabulary lists containing teriyaki
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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Foods from Asia
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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.
She’s also got a rotation of slow cooker meals like lasagna and chicken teriyaki that make for hot, low-effort dinners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
I like teriyaki food and hibachi places, so I’d either order from a place called Blazed N Glazed or Teriyaki Madness, or this place on campus called Hibachi Papi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The menu includes four vegan options: an edamame teriyaki bowl, a bean burrito bowl, a taco bowl with a pea-based meat alternative, and marinara pasta.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
The popular West Coast chain also runs an eclectic grill menu with Cajun shrimp and teriyaki pork chop.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
But today, on lap number two, barely into my salmon teriyaki, which, by the way, should be called teriyaki salmon the same way barbecue chicken is barbecue chicken and not chicken barbecue.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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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.
