gridiron

noun

grid·iron ˈgrid-ˌī(-ə)rn

: a grate for broiling food

Put the steaks on the gridiron.

: something consisting of or covered with a network

a gridiron of streets

: 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 Jason Kelce was considering retirement after the Super Bowl — but now he's committed to another season on the gridiron. —

Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023 In his time away from the gridiron, Peterson participated in an exhibition boxing match where he was knocked out by former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell. —

Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023 Even though a player like Brady perhaps didn’t possess the strongest arm and certainly not the best wheels as a signal caller, his achievements on the gridiron (seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs, 3 MVPs, etc.) speak for themselves. —

Conor Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023 Wilcox is taking over the reins from her former teammate on the gridiron and hardwood, Kali Hibbert, who graduated this past spring and was the quarterback for the past two years. —

Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2023 There’s an undeniable thrill in tracking his rise from a destitute kid with no prospects to a gridiron prodigy beset by college recruiters. —

Steve Almond, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023 The Cincinnati Enquirer is looking ahead to the 2023 high school football season by providing a rundown of the top players returning to the gridiron in a series of articles by position. —

Melanie Laughman, The Enquirer, 14 July 2023 Like Mitch, who prefers basketball to the gridiron — a blasphemous predilection in football-worshipping Owl — Vance has a mostly unhappy connection to high school quarterbacking. —

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 June 2023 What Does the Team Need to Win? Maximizing the potential of your team to achieve your goals is a principle that works from Wall Street to the gridiron. —

Joe Moglia, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gridiron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.