sauté

1 of 3

verb

sau·​té sȯ-ˈtā How to pronounce sauté (audio) sō- How to pronounce sauté (audio)
variants or less commonly saute
sautéed also sauteed; sautéing also sauteing

transitive verb

: to fry (food, such as small pieces of meat or vegetables) in a small amount of fat
Sauté the mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of the butter until they are golden.Nika Hazleton

sauté

2 of 3

noun

variants or less commonly saute
: a food that is fried in a small amount of fat : a sautéed dish
In this simple saute, high-quality ingredients make a difference …Elaine Johnson
Starters such as creamed corn risotto with shrimp sautéBruce Feiler
sauté adjective

sauté

3 of 3

adjective

variants or less commonly saute
1
: fried in a small amount of fat
roast beef with sauté potatoes
2
: used in sautéing
a sauté pan
improve your sauté technique

Examples of sauté in a Sentence

Verb Sauté the onion and garlic. peppers sautéed in olive oil

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from past participle of sauter to jump, from Old French, from Latin saltare — more at saltation

First Known Use

Verb

1834, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of sauté was in 1813

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sauté.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saut%C3%A9. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

sauté

verb
sau·​té
sȯ-ˈtā,
sō-
sautéed or sautéd; sautéing
: to fry in a small amount of fat
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!