fry

1 of 3

verb

fried; frying

transitive verb

1
: to cook in a pan or on a griddle over heat especially with the use of fat
2
3
: to damage or destroy (an electrical device or its circuitry) by overheating especially as a result of unusually high voltage

intransitive verb

1
: to undergo frying
2
: to get very hot or burn as if being fried
bodies frying on the beach

fry

2 of 3

noun (1)

plural fries
1
: a social gathering or picnic where food is fried and eaten
a fish fry
2
a
: a dish of something fried
b
: french fry
usually plural
a burger and fries
c
: a vegetable prepared in the style of a french fry
usually plural
carrot fries

fry

3 of 3

noun (2)

plural fry
1
a
: recently hatched or juvenile fishes
b
: the young of other animals
2
: very small adult fishes
3
: members of a group or class : individuals
small fry

Examples of fry in a Sentence

Verb They fried some chicken for us. We could smell the onions frying.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
To make their time a little easier, care packages are sometimes airdropped into the ocean – in 2014, that included letters of support from schoolchildren, and fried chicken from the Philippine fast food institution Jollibee. Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 On the dessert menu, sweet, sticky rice is fried into a crunchy patty the size of a burger. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Cooking techniques also differ, with steaming, boiling, baking, grilling and stewing all being used more regularly in the Atlantic diet than in the Mediterranean, which favors frying. Christian Mysliwiec, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Photographers will likewise need to employ specialized solar filters (NOT eclipse glasses) to prevent telescopes and cameras from getting fried. George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Shake Shack, the fast-food chain known for its burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and titular shakes, plans on opening three new Orange County locations in Brea, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, according to Kate DeMarco, the company’s brand communications specialist. Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 2 Mar. 2024 Of course, Isaac picked Okamoto’s, which contained chicken four ways: fried, Buffalo, smoked, and with some kind of white sauce. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 No matter what kind of dumpling does it for you, from steamed to boiled to fried, these babies are filled with so many delicious fillings. Amber Love Bond, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Colo’s Southern Cafe Colo’s Southern Cafe, owned and operated by Kevin and Tamar McCree, serves a wide range of dishes, such as oxtails, fried chicken and gumbo. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2024
Noun
The side of parmesan fries beats anyone else's fries as well. Jessica Rodriguez, Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 The 21-and-up bar is located upstairs at Silver Lake Lodge, and its menu features items like sticky-finger brisket fries and nachos to soak up any adult beverages consumed before heading back outside. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2024 The briny sip is enjoyable with something equally as briny like oysters on the half shell or truffle fries. Jillian Dara, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 But what Louis' does offer is a taste of Old Nevada, where customers dine at communal tables on fare that sustained the Basque shepherds − soup, beans and bread, lamb, steak and oxtail with fries to sop up the savory juices. Usa Today Network, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 But what Louis' does offer is a taste of Old Nevada, where customers dine at communal tables on fare that sustained the Basque shepherds — soup, beans and bread, lamb, steak and oxtail with fries to sop up the savory juices. The Arizona Republic, 15 Feb. 2024 Customers can purchase the sandwich, value fries and a drink for $7.99. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 The 24/7 restaurant in Old Louisville is known for the Burger Boy Combo, which comes with seasoned fries and a drink and costs $14. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Brooks explained how the team is split, half of them preferring skinny fries and the other half opting for steak fries. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English frien, from Anglo-French frire, from Latin frigere to roast; akin to Greek phrygein to roast, fry, Sanskrit bhṛjjati he roasts

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French frie, from freier, frier to rub, spawn — more at fray entry 2

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fry was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fry

Cite this Entry

“Fry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fry. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fry

1 of 3 verb
fried; frying
: to cook in fat or oil

fry

2 of 3 noun
plural fries
1
: something fried
especially : french fry entry 1
usually used in plural
steak and fries
2
: a get-together where fried food is eaten
a fish fry

fry

3 of 3 noun
plural fry
1
a
: recently hatched or young fish
b
: the young of animals other than fish
2
: very small adult fish
3
: members of a group or class : individuals
small fry
Etymology

Verb

Middle English frien "to fry," from early French frire (same meaning), from Latin frigere "to roast"

Noun

Middle English fry "recently hatched fish," from early French frie (same meaning), from freier, frier "to rub, spawn"

Biographical Definition

Fry

biographical name

Christopher 1907–2005 English dramatist

More from Merriam-Webster on fry

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