broil

¹ American  

[broil] / brɔɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to cook by direct heat, as on a gridiron over the heat or in an oven under the heat; grill.

   to broil a steak.

2. to scorch; make very hot.

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verb (used without object)

1. to be subjected to great heat; become broiled.

2. to burn with impatience, annoyance, etc.

noun

1. the act or state of broiling; state of being broiled.

2. something broiled, especially meat.

   She ordered a beef broil and salad.

broil ² American  

[broil] / brɔɪl /

noun

1. an angry quarrel or struggle; disturbance; tumult.

   a violent broil over who was at fault.

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verb (used without object)

1. to quarrel; brawl.

broil ¹ British  

/ brɔɪl /

verb

1. Usual equivalent (in Britain and other countries): grill.  to cook (meat, fish, etc) by direct heat, as under a grill or over a hot fire, or (of meat, fish, etc) to be cooked in this way

2. to become or cause to become extremely hot

3. (intr) to be furious

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noun

1. the process of broiling

2. something broiled

broil ² British  

/ brɔɪl /

noun

1. a loud quarrel or disturbance; brawl

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verb

1. (intr) to brawl; quarrel

Other Word Forms

• broilingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of broil¹

1300–50; Middle English brulen, brolyn, broillen < Anglo-French bruill ( i ) er, broil ( l ) er, Old French brusler, brul ( l ) er to burn ( French brûler ), a conflation of the verbs represented by Old French bruir to burn (< Frankish *brōjan; compare Middle High German brü ( ej ) en, German brühen to scald) and usler < Latin ustulāre to scorch

Origin of broil²

1400–50; late Middle English broylen to present in disorder, quarrel < Anglo-French, Old French broiller to jumble together < Gallo-Romance *brodiculāre, equivalent to *brod- (< Germanic; broth, brewis ) + Late Latin -iculāre v. suffix

Explanation

To broil is to cook something with direct exposure to fire. Broiling is similar to grilling, but you can also oven broil your steak if it's raining out. Have you ever had a cookout? If so, someone was probably heating up hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. This is a type of broiling. Broiling involves direct exposure to a flame. You can broil with a grill, a campfire, and with many types of stoves. You can also say that cooking by broiling is a broil (the noun). People like to get a broil going, especially in the summer.

Example Sentences

An early-season heat wave will broil much of inland California this week, with highs set to top 100 from the Antelope Valley to the Sacramento Valley.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2024

For our much-simplified version, we broil slices of za’atar-seasoned eggplant, and briefly soak sliced red onion and tomato in vinegar and salt with a little sugar to substitute the sweet and sour amba.

From Washington Times • Sep. 11, 2023

She can whip up a couple of mean pasta dishes, barbeque chicken and broil a hell of a steak.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2023

Capital Beijing is expected to broil in 37-39°C temperatures until Saturday, and the Tianjin Meteorological Observatory raised its warning level to red with temperatures expected to hit 40°C.

From Reuters • Jun. 16, 2023

I’d lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Related Words

• roast
• sear