1

skewer

noun skew·er \ ˈskyü-ər , ˈskyu̇r \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: skewer in a Sentence

Definition of skewer

1 : a pin of wood or metal for fastening meat to keep it in form while roasting or to hold small pieces of meat or vegetables for broiling

2 : any of various things shaped or used like a meat skewer

See skewer defined for English-language learners

See skewer defined for kids

Recent Examples of skewer from the Web

Natalie created salami with cream cheese spread on olive focaccia with honey mustard sauce, fire roasted tomato hummus and cucumber on pita bread, and watermelon, feta and mint skewer with a balsamic reduction.

— shirley macfarland, cleveland.com, "Polaris Baking and Pastry Arts students shine at state competition: Strong Points," 13 May 2018
Fola Jinadu, owner and founder, opened the first Suya Spot in late 2015, serving different versions of the restaurant’s namesake — Suya, a popular meat skewer from West Africa — along with items like catfish pepper soup, nkwobi (cow foot) and snail.

— wesley case, baltimoresun.com, "Nigerian restaurant Suya Spot to open new location in Owings Mills," 7 May 2018
Going the distance, fruit skewers, sunscreen, juices and water are delivered poolside.

— melanie reffes, USA TODAY, "Best pools in the Caribbean, 2018 edition," 20 Feb. 2018
Tips & Techniques For extra veggie goodness, add asparagus to skewers (1/2 lb cut into 2-in.

— kate merker, Woman's Day, "Salmon & Scallion Kebabs," 10 Oct. 2014
Have on hand 18 to 20 (10-inch) metal or bamboo skewers.

— sally pasley vargas, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipe: Sweet, spicy shrimp on skewers turn smoky after a few minutes on the grill," 21 May 2018
Boghosian usually gets it right at Chicken Charlie’s, but this generous skewer of a half-pound of tender and well-seasoned steak cubes loses its luster underneath the deep-fried batter.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Fair aims for sweet success this summer," 16 May 2018
The butcher then seasoned the meat with salt and the typical Syrian seven-spice mixture (cinnamon, allspice, cumin, and so on) and dexterously wrapped it around a couple of skewers.

— anissa helou, Bon Appetit, "The Camel Trek: In Search of an Unexpected Delicacy," 4 May 2018
Yeah, the anticuchos at A Night in Old San Antonio are just beef on a stick, but there’s something about the seasoning, the spectacle of the smoking racks of skewers and the tradition that keeps drawing thousands for their annual taste.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: A Night in Old San Antonio Anticuchos," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skewer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of skewer

Middle English skeuier

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

2

skewer

verb

Definition of skewer

skewered; skewering; skewers

transitive verb

1 : to fasten or pierce with or as if with a skewer

2 : to criticize or ridicule sharply and effectively

See skewer defined for English-language learners

Examples of skewer in a Sentence

let's skewer our marshmallows on these sticks and start toasting
the satirical comic strip gleefully skewers many of society's sacred cows

Recent Examples of skewer from the Web

In that time, the left-leaning cartoonist has skewered all sorts of politicians, both Democrat and Republican.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist speaks out about having his Trump cartoons killed," 8 June 2018
The fake newscast skewered Trump sons Don Jr. (Day) and Eric (Moffat).

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'SNL': Tina Fey plays Palin, celebrity traffic cop," 20 May 2018
With only three exceptions this season, including an emotional musical tribute from Jason Aldean after the Las Vegas shooting, the show’s pre-credits cold-open sketches have relied entirely on skewering Trump administration antics.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "S.N.L. Struggles to Find Its Identity in the Era of Trump Fatigue," 17 May 2018
With her typical acerbic wit, Ms Cusk skewers the pretensions of the literary world while simultaneously upholding the intrinsic value of literature—no small feat.

— The Economist, "Rachel Cusk experiments with new ways to tell stories," 10 May 2018
Ellen Degeneres also recently skewered the monster movie.

— kayla kumari upadhyaya, The Hollywood Reporter, "'SNL' Tackles Kanye West's Trump Tweets in 'A Quiet Place' Parody," 5 May 2018
His most popular projects — all unsparing portraits of bureaucratic ineptitude — have alternated between skewering British and American politics but each is infused with his uniquely acerbic, cringe-inducing sense of humor.

— isaac feldberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Armando Iannucci sees the humor in history — even when it comes to Stalin," 8 Mar. 2018
President Donald Trump has used the slur since the 2016 presidential campaign to skewer her claims -- passed down through family stories, Warren says -- of Cherokee and Delaware ancestry.

— eric bradner, CNN, "Elizabeth Warren is quietly working to defang Trump's 'Pocahontas' slur as 2020 looms," 26 May 2018
Two hundred years after a cartoonist used Elbridge Gerry’s name to skewer political cartography, Mr. Gerry’s descendants think it’s time people start pronouncing it right.

— madeline marshall, WSJ, "Attention, America: We’ve All Been Saying Gerrymander Wrong," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skewer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of skewer

1701

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

skewer Synonyms

Synonyms

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, laugh (at), mock, ridicule, scout, shoot down;

Near Antonyms

applaud, approve, commend, endorse (also indorse), sanction;

Related Words

scoff (at), scorn, sneer (at);

bad-mouth, belittle, decry, disparage, pooh-pooh (also pooh), put down;

jive, josh, kid, quiz, razz, rib, ride, tease, tweak, twit;

bait, bug, catcall, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, needle, pester, rag, target, taunt, torment;

ape, burlesque, caricature, imitate, lampoon, mimic, parody, parrot, pillory, satirize, take off (on), travesty;

Phrases

make fun of, make sport of, poke fun at, rag on;

SKEWER Defined for English Language Learners

skewer

noun

Definition of skewer for English Language Learners

: a long pointed piece of metal or wood that is pushed through pieces of food to keep them together or hold them in place for cooking

skewer

verb

Definition of skewer for English Language Learners

: to push a skewer through (food)
: to criticize (someone or something) very harshly

Learn More about skewer

See words that rhyme with skewer Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for skewer Spanish Central: Translation of skewer Nglish: Translation of skewer for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up skewer? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

effigy

play

a figure representing a hated person

BROWSE DICTIONARY

skew distribution

skewed

skewer

skewerwood

skew facet

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games