lard

1 of 3

verb

ˈlärd 

larded; larding; lards

transitive verb

1

a

: to dress (meat) for cooking by inserting or covering with something (such as strips of fat)

b

: to cover or soil with grease

2

: to augment or intersperse especially with something superfluous or excessive

the book is larded with subplots

3

obsolete : to make rich with or as if with fat

lard

2 of 3

noun

: a soft white solid or semisolid fat obtained by rendering fatty pork

lardy

ˈlär-dē 

adjective

lardy

3 of 3

adjective

ˈlärdē 

ˈlȧdē, 

-di

-er/-est

1

: containing or resembling lard : of the character or consistency of lard

a white lardy skin

a heavy lardy cake

2

: fat or tending to become fat especially to excess

lardy hogs

Examples of lard in a Sentence

Verb

a roast larded with bacon

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

When the Trump administration announced massive cuts to federal health agencies earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was getting rid of excess administrators who were larding the government with bureaucratic bloat. —ProPublica, 21 Aug. 2025

Democrats larded the grant requirements with all types of woke nonsense dictating, among other things, where the stations had to be built and who would be allowed to build them. —Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2025

Noun

It's most known for its unapologetically indulgent menu — including massive burgers, fries cooked in pure lard, even unfiltered cigarettes. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026

Lewis’s pan-frying method — with lard and other pork for flavor — has been cited in versions of her recipe by the restaurateur and TV personality Andrew Zimmern, the New York Times and America’s Test Kitchen, None of them, however, insist on using seasonal chicken. —Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 17 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English larden, borrowed from Anglo-French larder (also continental Old French), derivative of lard "bacon, lard entry 2"

Noun and Adjective

Middle English lard, larde "fat pork cured in brine or smoked, bacon, lard," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French lard, larde, lart (also continental Old French), going back to Latin lāridum, lārdum "bacon," perhaps borrowed, with change of suffix, from Greek lārīnós "(of a bull or ox) fattened," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek lārīnós has been compared with lārós "pleasing, delicious (of a meal, wine)" and apolaúein "to have pleasure or enjoyment, benefit," though the derivational details are far from clear if there is actually a relationship.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lard

• lard with
• leaf lard

Rhymes for lard

• bard
• barred
• card
• chard
• charred
• guard
• hard
• jarred
• marred
• nard
• scarred
• shard

Kids Definition

lard

1 of 2 verb

ˈlärd 

1

: to insert strips of usually pork fat into meat before cooking

2

: to smear with lard, fat, or grease

3

: to add something extra and unnecessary to

lard

2 of 2 noun

: a soft white fat from the fatty tissue of the hog

Medical Definition

lard

noun

ˈlärd 

: adeps