gridiron

noun

grid·​iron ˈgrid-ˌī(-ə)rn 

1

: a grate for broiling food

Put the steaks on the gridiron.

2

: something consisting of or covered with a network

a gridiron of streets

3

: a football field

The two teams will face each other on the gridiron.

Did you know?

Modern gridirons are covered in football players when they're in use, but the original gridirons were more likely to be covered with meat or fish; they were metal gratings used for broiling food over an open fire. In Middle English, such a grating was called a gredil, a root that gave modern English both gridiron and griddle. How did gridiron become associated with football? That happened in the late 1800s, when a white grid pattern was added to football fields to help enforce new rules about how many yards a team had to gain to keep possession of the ball. From high up in the stands, the lines made the playing fields look like cooking gridirons.

Examples of gridiron in a Sentence

The book recounts his many moments of glory on the gridiron.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the players were teased and joked about in their time on the gridiron and off. —Brent Lang, Variety, 15 May 2024

In an era of Black power displays, his only militancy was to crack heads on the gridiron. —Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gredire, alteration of gridel, gredil griddle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

gridiron

noun

grid·​iron ˈgrid-ˌī(-ə)rn 

1

: a grate for broiling food

2

: something consisting of or covered with a grid

3

: a football field