fried; frying
1
: to cook in a pan or on a griddle over heat especially with the use of fat
2
slang
: electrocute sense 2
3
: to damage or destroy (an electrical device or its circuitry) by overheating especially as a result of unusually high voltage
1
: to undergo frying
2
: to get very hot or burn as if being fried
bodies frying on the beach
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
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
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Jessica and Jeff get up the morning of an event to fry the doughnuts fresh.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Now they’re fried and processed on the (often) toxic stoves of social media timelines.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
After frying in palm oil, what emerges is a sticky-sweet, bright orange, and irresistible taste of Southern Thai cuisine.
—Austin Bush, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
Instead of battering and frying the rellenos, discover similar flavors by layering a flour and egg batter right on top of the shrimp mixture and baking.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2024
For the crispy potatoes, Black specially selected a spud variety for its sugar, starch, and water content, and they’re then cooked three times—steamed, fried, baked—to achieve a shattering crunch and pillowy interior.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Here, chunky golden nuggets of silken tofu are coated in corn scratch and lightly fried before being placed in a shallow pool of broth made from dashi, soy sauce and sweet mirin then topped with bonito flakes, spicy radish sprouts and ginger.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Keenan's chicken:This Arizona rock star makes killer fried chicken.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024
Commenters on social media praise the basic brisket, the sausage and particularly the crinkle-cut fries, one of 10 sides.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
The park’s signature apple fries are worth a visit alone.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024
Here are some cool ideas that range from one of the best, if most unsettling, movies of 2024 to great shows and concerts and more fabulous French fries (mmm … French fries).
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Having just finished its fry on Basque-language EITB1, Season 1 powered up the channel slot by +75%, while proving an absolute hit on social media, with 2 million-plus unique users, outstripping a potential audience of around 1 million.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The chicken chain — known for its fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and signature sauce — signed a lease at the Natomas Fountains, 3801 Gateway Park Blvd., property management company Ethan Concord Properties Inc. announced last week.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Later into the night, while guests were mingling and celebrating on the dance floor, they were served a selection of snacks including sirloin sliders, fries and barbecue chicken wings.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The upload began with a photo of two cheeseburgers, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese sitting next to two plates of French fries and multiple ketchup packets.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
Servers whiz by, dropping off plates in waves: what’s-not-to-like hunks of chicken karaage fried in rippling batter, smoky lamb chops, precisely triangular oshizushi crowned with mackerel, a warming finish of chazuke (rice in dashi) flecked with king salmon.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Jessica and Jeff get up the morning of an event to fry the doughnuts fresh.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2024
Now they’re fried and processed on the (often) toxic stoves of social media timelines.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
After frying in palm oil, what emerges is a sticky-sweet, bright orange, and irresistible taste of Southern Thai cuisine.
—Austin Bush, Saveur, 18 Apr. 2024
Instead of battering and frying the rellenos, discover similar flavors by layering a flour and egg batter right on top of the shrimp mixture and baking.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Apr. 2024
For the crispy potatoes, Black specially selected a spud variety for its sugar, starch, and water content, and they’re then cooked three times—steamed, fried, baked—to achieve a shattering crunch and pillowy interior.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Here, chunky golden nuggets of silken tofu are coated in corn scratch and lightly fried before being placed in a shallow pool of broth made from dashi, soy sauce and sweet mirin then topped with bonito flakes, spicy radish sprouts and ginger.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024
Keenan's chicken:This Arizona rock star makes killer fried chicken.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
Known for charbroiled burgers, chicken, fries and shakes, Carl’s Jr. is one of the heavy hitters of fast-food chains in the United States.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 23 Apr. 2024
Commenters on social media praise the basic brisket, the sausage and particularly the crinkle-cut fries, one of 10 sides.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024
The park’s signature apple fries are worth a visit alone.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2024
Here are some cool ideas that range from one of the best, if most unsettling, movies of 2024 to great shows and concerts and more fabulous French fries (mmm … French fries).
—Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Having just finished its fry on Basque-language EITB1, Season 1 powered up the channel slot by +75%, while proving an absolute hit on social media, with 2 million-plus unique users, outstripping a potential audience of around 1 million.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The chicken chain — known for its fingers, crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and signature sauce — signed a lease at the Natomas Fountains, 3801 Gateway Park Blvd., property management company Ethan Concord Properties Inc. announced last week.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024
Later into the night, while guests were mingling and celebrating on the dance floor, they were served a selection of snacks including sirloin sliders, fries and barbecue chicken wings.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The upload began with a photo of two cheeseburgers, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese sitting next to two plates of French fries and multiple ketchup packets.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near fry
Cite this Entry
“Fry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fry. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fry
2 of 3 noun
plural fries
1
: something fried
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
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