What does "broil" mean?
Food prepared by broiling.
Broil
/bɹɔɪl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Food prepared by broiling.
- Grammar: broil is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: grilling, ado, affray, agitation.
- Useful contrasts: agreement, bake, boil.
- Usage evidence: Broil the fillet for 8 to 12 minutes per side.
How to use "broil"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "broil" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "broil" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "broil" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "broil" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "broil" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "grilling" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "broil", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Food prepared by broiling.
"Cluffe, externally acquiescing, had yet made up his mind, if a decent opportunity presented, to be detected and made prisoner, and that the honest troubadours should sup on a hot broil, and sip some of the absent General's curious Madeira at the feet of their respective mistresses, with all the advantage which a situation so romantic and so private would offer."
- 2 A brawl; a rowdy disturbance. archaic
"come to broils"
- 3 cooking by direct exposure to radiant heat (as over a fire or under a grill) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To cook by direct, radiant heat. Canada, US, obsolete, transitive
"To broil a pigeon. When you broil them, do them in the same manner, and take care your fire is very clear, and set your gridiron high, that they may not burn, and have a little parsley and butter in a cup. You may split them, and broil them with a little pepper and salt, and you may roast them only with a little parsley and butter in a dish."
- 2 To cause a rowdy disturbance; embroil. transitive
- 3 cook under a broiler wordnet
- 4 To expose to great heat. Canada, US, transitive
- 5 To brawl. intransitive, obsolete
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 heat by a natural force wordnet
- 7 To be exposed to great heat. Canada, US, intransitive
- 8 be very hot, due to hot weather or exposure to the sun wordnet
Example
"Broil the fillet for 8 to 12 minutes per side."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "broil"?
Common synonyms include: grilling, ado, affray, agitation, altercate, altercation.
How do you use "broil" in a sentence?
Broil the fillet for 8 to 12 minutes per side.
How do you pronounce "broil"?
Pronounced /bɹɔɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English broylen, brulen (“to broil, cook”), from Anglo-Norman bruiller, broiller (“to broil, roast”), Old French brusler, bruller (“to broil, roast, char”), a blend of two Old French verbs: * bruir (“to burn”), from Frankish *brōjan (“to burn, scald”) * usler (“to scorch”), from Latin ustulō (“to scorch”)
Etymology 2
From Middle English broilen (“to quarrel, present in disorder”), from Anglo-Norman broiller (“to mix up”), from Vulgar Latin *brodiculāre (“to jumble together”) from *brodum (“broth, stew”), from Frankish *broþ (“broth”), from Proto-Germanic *bruþą (“broth”).