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Meaning & use

broil

verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/brɔɪl/
US/brɔɪl/

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    To cook food by putting it close to strong, direct heat from above.

    Grammar: Takes an object: broil the fish.

    Patterns

    • broil something
    • broil something for someone
    • broil something until …

    Broil the steak for five minutes on each side.

    She broiled the vegetables until they were tender.

    Can you broil some chicken for dinner tonight?

  2. verbintransitive

    To become extremely hot; to be very hot.

    Grammar: No object; often used in the continuous form.

    Patterns

    • be broiling
    • broil in the sun

    We were broiling in the car without air conditioning.

    The city broils in summer, so many people leave for the coast.

    The workers broiled under the hot sun all afternoon.

Word forms

third person singularbroils
past tensebroiled
past participlebroiled
-ing formbroiling

Common combinations

broil a steak
He broiled a steak for his guests.
broil fish
Broil the fish for ten minutes.
broil until golden
Broil the cheese until golden and bubbling.
broil in the oven
You can broil the peppers in the oven.

Synonyms and how they differ

grill
In American English, 'grill' usually means to cook with heat from below, while 'broil' means heat from above; in British English, 'grill' covers both.
roast
To cook with dry heat in an oven, often for a longer time; 'broil' is faster and uses stronger, more direct heat.

Word family

broiler noun
A device or part of an oven that produces strong heat from above for broiling.

Commonly confused: broil or boil?

broil vs boil

To boil is to cook in very hot water; to broil is to cook with dry, direct heat.

Practice

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