adobo

noun

ado·bo ə-ˈdō-bō

ä-ˈt͟hō-bō

plural adobos

: a Philippine dish of fish or meat usually marinated in a sauce containing vinegar and garlic, browned in fat, and simmered in the marinade

: a spicy marinade used in Latin American cuisine and usually containing vinegar, garlic, and chili peppers

chipotles in adobo

: a seasoning mixture that typically includes ground dried garlic, ground dried onion, oregano, salt, and pepper

Examples of adobo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Shell-on shrimp, for example, are blanketed in a choice of three kinds of adobo, each fortified with a lone chile or a mix of them: guajillo adobo; ancho adobo; or three-chile adobo. —

Scott Hocker, theweek, 3 Sep. 2024 Meat — often pork — marinated in a red adobo sauce; roasted on a trompo or sometimes cooked on the plancha or grill. —

Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024 The beef from the birria was a little tough but had lots of adobo flavor. —

Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024 The meat is prepared with an adobo rub made with different types of chiles — árbol, pasilla, ancho — and spices such as cumin, cloves and sesame, along with tomato, onions and garlic. —

Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for adobo

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adobo.' 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

borrowed from Spanish, "marinade," noun derivative of adobar "to arrange, prepare, cook, marinate," borrowed from Old French adober "to arm (a knight), prepare," from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + -dober, borrowed from Old Low Franconian *dubban "to strike"; akin to Old Frisian dubba "to hit, knock" — more at dub entry 1