grill

¹ American  

[gril] / grɪl /

noun

1. a grated utensil for broiling meat, fish, vegetables, etc., over a fire; gridiron.

2. a dish of grilled meat, fish, etc.

3. grillroom.

4. Philately. a group of small pyramidal marks, embossed or impressed in parallel rows on certain U.S. and Peruvian stamps of the late 19th century to prevent erasure of cancellation marks.

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verb (used with object)

1. to broil on a gridiron or other apparatus over or before a fire.

   Synonyms:

   barbecue

2. to subject to severe and persistent cross-examination or questioning.

   Synonyms:

   probe, interrogate

3. to torment with heat.

   Synonyms:

   torture

4. to mark with a series of parallel bars like those of a grill.

verb (used without object)

1. to undergo broiling.

grill ² American  

[gril] / grɪl /

noun

1. grille.

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grill ¹ British  

/ ɡrɪl /

verb

1. Usual US and Canadian word: broil.  to cook (meat, fish, etc) by direct heat, as under a grill or over a hot fire, or (of meat, fish, etc) to be cooked in this way

2. (tr; usually passive) to torment with or as if with extreme heat

   the travellers were grilled by the scorching sun

3. informal (tr) to subject to insistent or prolonged questioning

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noun

1. a device with parallel bars of thin metal on which meat, fish, etc, may be cooked by a fire; gridiron

2. a device on a cooker that radiates heat downwards for grilling meat, fish, etc

3. food cooked by grilling

4. See grillroom

grill ² British  

/ ɡrɪl /

noun

1. a variant spelling of grille

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Other Word Forms

• griller noun

Etymology

Origin of grill

1660–70; 1890–95 grill ¹ for def. 6; < French gril gridiron ≪ Latin crātīculum, creātīculō, diminutive of crātis wickerwork, hurdle. See grille

Explanation

Not all grilling involves fire and delicious food. Sometimes, to grill means to ask a person really intense questions, like when you suspect them of doing something wrong and you want to make them confess the truth. Ever seen a film where a police officer puts a bright light in a criminal’s face and screams, “Did you do it?” That’s how you grill someone. You have to be tough on him, and not let him off the hook too easily. Being grilled means you are in the “hot seat,” and it’ll feel like you’re cooking from such a close examination. Better to grill than be grilled, but if you get caught — think of an alibi, quick!

Example Sentences

A covered porch houses a sizable grill for outdoor meal preparation.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Nearby, a man fanned skewers sizzling on a barbecue grill while a couple played badminton and retirees sang cheerfully on a park bench.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

The wrist camera captures how every muscle moves as they chop vegetables, season and grill chicken and roll up their shawarmas.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Older power stations have simply placed a grill across the inlet pipes, filtering out fish, which are killed in the process.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

There was a charcoal grill in the middle of the garden, the big round kind that looked like a miniature red Starbase.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Related Words

• barbecue
• roast
• sear