broil

1
[ broil ]
See synonyms for: broilbroiledbroiling on Thesaurus.com

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.

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.

Origin of broil

1
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

Other words from broil

  • broil·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby broil

Other definitions for broil (2 of 2)

broil2
[ broil ]

noun
  1. an angry quarrel or struggle; disturbance; tumult: a violent broil over who was at fault.

verb (used without object)
  1. to quarrel; brawl.

Origin of broil

2
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; see broth, brewis) + Late Latin -iculāre v. suffix

Other words from broil

  • broil·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use broil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for broil (1 of 2)

broil1

/ (brɔɪl) /


verb
  1. mainly US and Canadian 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: Usual equivalent (in Britain and other countries): grill

  2. to become or cause to become extremely hot

  1. (intr) to be furious

noun
  1. the process of broiling

  2. something broiled

Origin of broil

1
C14: from Old French bruillir to burn, of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for broil (2 of 2)

broil2

/ (brɔɪl) archaic /


noun
  1. a loud quarrel or disturbance; brawl

verb
  1. (intr) to brawl; quarrel

Origin of broil

2
C16: from Old French brouiller to mix, from breu broth; see brewis, brose

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012