fry

fry — verb

1. to prepare food by heating it in a shallow pan with oil or fat on a stove, givin

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to prepare food by heating it in a shallow pan with oil or fat on a stove, giving the outer surface a brown colour and a crisp texture

Example

Omar fried the chicken pieces in hot oil until they turned golden brown.

transitive: fry + direct object (food item)

The onions are frying gently in a little butter and garlic.

intransitive: [food] + is frying + adverb

Common collocations
  • fry in oil/butter
  • fry lightly/quickly/gently/until golden
  • fry onions/eggs/chicken/fish/potatoes/rice
Synonyms
  • sauté

    fry quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat, usually while stirring

  • pan-fry

    fry in a shallow pan with enough oil to cover the bottom, without fully submerging the food

  • deep-fry

    fry by submerging food completely in hot oil, producing a very crispy outer layer

  • stir-fry

    fry small pieces of food quickly in a wok over very high heat while stirring constantly

Antonyms
  • boil

    cook in water at 100°C, without any oil or fat

  • steam

    cook with hot steam rather than hot oil

Grammar Patterns

fry + noun_phrase (food item)

fry + noun_phrase + adverb/prepositional_phrase

intransitive: [food] + fries / is frying

Usage Note

Common in recipes and everyday cooking instructions. When used intransitively, the subject is the food being cooked ('The fish fries quickly').

Common Mistakes

I fried the chicken with oven.
I fried the chicken in a pan with oil.
frying uses hot oil or fat on a stove, not dry heat in an oven.
She fried the rice with water.
She fried the rice with oil.
frying requires oil or fat; boiling or steaming uses water.

2. to become painfully hot or sunburned from strong sunlight or extreme heat, as if

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to become painfully hot or sunburned from strong sunlight or extreme heat, as if being cooked

Example

The tourists were frying on the beach under the strong midday sun.

progressive: were frying + location

Tendai's shoulders began to fry after only twenty minutes in the desert heat.

body part + began to fry

Common collocations
  • fry in the sun/heat
  • fry on the beach
  • shoulders/face/skin frying
Synonyms
  • burn

    more general and neutral; does not carry the informal, exaggerated tone of 'fry'

  • roast

    similar informal register; often used for whole-body heat rather than sunburn specifically

  • sizzle

    even more exaggerated and humorous, suggesting an audible heat effect

Antonyms
  • freeze

    opposite extreme of temperature discomfort

  • shiver

    to shake from cold, the opposite physical reaction

Grammar Patterns

[person] + is/was frying

[body part] + is frying + [location/preposition]

Usage Note

Almost exclusively used in informal or humorous contexts. The subject is typically a person or a body part exposed to the sun. Not used in formal weather reports — prefer 'scorching', 'sweltering', or 'blazing'.

3. to put a person to death by passing a powerful electric current through their bo

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to put a person to death by passing a powerful electric current through their body, typically as a legal punishment with a specially designed chair

Example

In the film the governor ordered the prison to fry the convicted murderer.

active voice: authority + fries + person

A character in the novel was sentenced to fry for murders he did not commit.

passive: was sentenced to fry

Common collocations
  • fry in the electric chair
  • fry inmates/prisoners
  • sentenced to fry
Synonyms
  • electrocute

    formal, neutral term for death by electric shock; can cover accidents and executions

  • execute

    much broader; does not specify the method of execution

Grammar Patterns

[authority] + fries + [person]

[person] + is/was fried + [prepositional phrase]

Usage Note

Very informal slang derived from the electric chair as a method of capital punishment. In serious or formal writing, use 'execute by electrocution' or 'put to death in the electric chair'. Avoid using this sense in real-world contexts about actual executions as it can sound flippant.

Common Mistakes

The electrician fried when he touched the wire.
The electrician was electrocuted when he touched the wire.
'fry' for accidental electrocution sounds inappropriate; use 'electrocuted' or 'killed by electric shock'.
Idioms

have bigger/other fish to fry

idiom

To have more important or interesting tasks to deal with.

Maya can't join the meeting; she has bigger fish to fry.

Why would Diego care about that? He has other fish to fry.

fry — noun

Word family

  • fried
    adjectiveB1
  • fryer
    nounB1
  • frying
    nounB1
  • fries
    nounA2
  • fry-up
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four terms describe cooking with hot oil, but they differ in technique. 'Sauté' (from French 'to jump') means cooking food quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat, usually while tossing or stirring — ideal for tender vegetables or thin cuts. 'Pan-fry' uses enough oil to cover the bottom of a shallow pan without submerging the food; it is the standard method for cooking eggs, fish fillets, or chicken pieces. 'Deep-fry' means fully submerging food in hot oil, producing an all-over crispy crust — think french fries, doughnuts, or battered fish. 'Stir-fry' is a high-heat method using a wok and constant stirring motion, associated with East Asian cooking. For example: 'Sauté the mushrooms in a little butter' vs. 'Pan-fry the salmon skin-side down for four minutes' vs. 'Deep-fry the chicken wings until they float and turn golden.'

sautépan-frydeep-frystir-fry

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fry until golden brown
  • fry over medium heat
  • fry in butter

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The verb 'fry' comes from Old French 'frire', which traces back to Latin 'frigere' meaning 'to roast or fry'. The word entered English around the 13th century. The noun sense for young fish has a separate origin — it comes from Old French 'frier' meaning 'to spawn' (from Latin 'fricare' 'to rub'), and it appeared in English in the 15th century. The two meanings are historically unrelated but have converged in the same spelling.