barbecue

barbecue — noun

1. a metal cooker used outside to cook food over flames or hot coals

1.nounA2
Definition

a metal cooker used outside to cook food over flames or hot coals

Example

Dad cleaned the barbecue before putting corn and chicken on it.

put food on the barbecue

Smoke rose from the barbecue beside the picnic table.

Common collocations
  • gas barbecue
  • charcoal barbecue
  • light the barbecue
  • clean the barbecue
  • cook on the barbecue
Synonyms
  • grill

    a close everyday word, especially for the cooking equipment

  • cooker

    broader and can refer to indoor cooking equipment too

  • smoker

    a narrower type made especially for slow smoky cooking

Grammar Patterns

cook on the barbecue

clean the barbecue

gas barbecue

Usage Note

Usually countable. Common with verbs like light, clean, move, and use, and with type words such as gas or charcoal.

Common Mistakes

We cooked the meat in the barbecue.
We cooked the meat on the barbecue.
English usually uses on for the cooking surface.

2. a casual meal of food cooked outside on a barbecue

2.nounA2
Definition

a casual meal of food cooked outside on a barbecue

Example

We had a barbecue on the beach after the school race.

have a barbecue

Grandma served cold tea with the barbecue in the garden.

Common collocations
  • family barbecue
  • seafood barbecue
  • Sunday barbecue
  • have a barbecue
  • barbecue for lunch
Synonyms
  • meal

    much broader and does not suggest outdoor cooking

  • cookout

    especially American; often includes both the meal and the event

  • feast

    suggests a larger or more special meal

Grammar Patterns

have a barbecue

a family barbecue

a seafood barbecue

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 3: this sense names the food or meal itself, not the social event around it.

Common Mistakes

The barbecue was delicious, and everyone stayed until midnight.
The barbecue was delicious, and everyone asked for more.
Use this sense for the meal, not for the whole gathering.

3. an outdoor gathering where people spend time together and share food from the gr

3.nounB1
Definition

an outdoor gathering where people spend time together and share food from the grill

Example

The neighbors invited us to a barbecue on Saturday afternoon.

go to a barbecue

Children ran across the yard while the barbecue was starting.

Common collocations
  • company barbecue
  • birthday barbecue
  • neighborhood barbecue
  • hold a barbecue
  • go to a barbecue
Synonyms
  • cookout

    very close, especially in American English

  • picnic

    can also be outdoors, but the food is not necessarily cooked there

  • party

    broader and does not suggest outdoor cooking

Grammar Patterns

go to a barbecue

hold a barbecue

birthday barbecue

Usage Note

Usually used with verbs like have, hold, throw, or go to. Distinguish from sense 2: here the focus is the event and the people there, not only the food.

Common Mistakes

We made a barbecue for Tom's birthday.
We had a barbecue for Tom's birthday.
For the event, English usually says have or hold, not make.

4. meat cooked slowly with smoke and low heat, often with a rich sauce

4.nounB2
Definition

meat cooked slowly with smoke and low heat, often with a rich sauce

Example

Texas barbecue dripped with dark sauce and fell apart easily.

collocation: Texas barbecue

We ordered barbecue and beans from the truck near the stadium.

Common collocations
  • pork barbecue
  • Texas barbecue
  • barbecue sauce
  • eat barbecue
  • slice barbecue
Synonyms
  • smoked meat

    describes the cooking method but is more general

  • grilled meat

    broader and does not always suggest slow cooking with smoke

  • pulled pork

    a much narrower kind of barbecue meat

Grammar Patterns

eat barbecue

pork barbecue

Texas barbecue

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when it means the food itself. Common with words naming meat or style, such as pork barbecue or Texas barbecue.

Common Mistakes

We ate a barbecue with rice.
We ate barbecue with rice.
Use no article when barbecue means the food in general.

barbecue — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

For sense 3, barbecue means a social event where people gather outdoors and eat food cooked on a grill or over coals. Cookout is very close, especially in American English, and often sounds a little more casual. Picnic is also an outdoor meal, but the food is usually packed and carried there, not cooked on site. Party is much broader and can happen anywhere, indoors or outdoors, with any kind of food. If the outdoor cooking is the main idea, barbecue or cookout is the best choice. You can say The neighbors invited us to a barbecue, but A picnic was ready on the grass suggests prepared food, not grilling.

barbecue ↗cookoutpicnic ↗party ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • have a barbecue
  • go to a barbecue

Prepositions

Etymology

ArawakanSpanishEnglish

Barbecue came into English from Spanish barbacoa. Spanish had taken the word from a Caribbean language in the Arawakan family, often linked to Taíno. It first referred to a wooden frame used for cooking or drying food, and later English widened it to mean the cooker, the meal, the party, and the cooking method.