barbecue

verb

bar·​be·​cue ˈbär-bi-ˌkyü 

barbecued; barbecuing; barbecues

transitive verb

1

: to roast or broil (food, such as meat) on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat (such as hot coals or a gas flame)

barbecuing chicken for dinner

2

: to prepare (food, such as beef, pork, or chicken) by seasoning (as with a marinade, a barbecue sauce, or a rub) and cooking usually slowly and with exposure to low heat and to smoke

Barbecuing brisket begins late Thursday night so they can start serving at noon Friday.

—Carlos Frías

To be really barbecued, ribs must roast slowly over hardwood, which cooks them with a combination of heat and smoke.

—Dennis R. Getto

I prepared it with a rub rather than a marinade or barbecue sauce. It was the first time I'd barbecued meat seasoned with a rub, and it was very easy.

—Margaret Prouse

3

informal : to subject (someone) to harsh criticism or ridicule

Republicans now talk of winning 15 to 20 new seats in November, a prospect that has the faithful and the financiers wanting to barbecue Clinton for at least a few more weeks.

—Nancy Gibbs et al.

intransitive verb

: to barbecue food

barbecuing on a grill

There are no shortcuts in barbecuing here. The brisket, for example, is slow smoked with a dry rub for 14 to 16 hours …

—Constance Snow

barbecuer noun

plural barbecuers

Examples of barbecue in a Sentence

We barbecued chicken and ribs.

We barbecue often during the summer.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fans stayed until the morning cheering and barbecuing food. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 2 June 2026

The menu features barbecued chicken or beef skewer with potato salad, cucumber & onion salad and corn on the cob; limited pre-sale meals. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026

After barbecuing the breast over peat, the legs are braised and served alongside the grain itself. —Carinne Geil Botta, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

Rodney Scott first started barbecuing around 11 years old at his family's restaurant in Hemingway, South Carolina. —Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

derivative of barbecue entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing barbecue

• barbecue sauce

Rhymes for barbecue

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

barbecue

1 of 2 verb

bar·​be·​cue ˈbär-bi-ˌkyü 

barbecued; barbecuing

1

: to cook over or before an open source of heat (as hot coals)

2

: to cook in a highly seasoned sauce

barbecuer noun

barbecue

2 of 2 noun

variants also barbeque

1

a

: a large animal (as a hog or steer) roasted or broiled over an open fire

b

: barbecued food

2

: an outdoor social gathering at which barbecued food is eaten

Etymology

from American Spanish barbacoa "a rack for hanging meat over a fire," from an Indigenous language of the Antilles