dill

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A herb with thin feathery leaves and small seeds, used to flavor pickles, fish and sauces.

   Grammar: Uncountable: add some dill, not a dill.

   Patterns

   • fresh dill
   • dill sauce
   • dill seeds

   She sprinkled fresh dill over the salmon.

   Dill gives these pickles their distinctive taste.

   The garden had rows of dill growing beside the carrots.

2. 2nouncountableinformalAustralianhumorous

   A silly or foolish person.

   Grammar: Countable and mild: Don't be such a dill.

   Patterns

   • be a dill

   Don't be a dill, you left the keys in the car again.

   He felt like a dill after tripping over the mat in front of everyone.

Word forms

Common combinations

fresh dill

Stir in some fresh dill before serving.

dill pickle

He added a dill pickle to the sandwich.

dill weed

The recipe calls for a spoonful of dill weed.

dill sauce

The fish came with a creamy dill sauce.

dill seed

Dill seed is used in pickling spice.

a bit of a dill

He's a bit of a dill, but we all like him.

Synonyms and how they differ

fennel

Fennel is a related plant with a stronger aniseed taste and a bulb, while dill has a lighter flavor.

parsley

Parsley is a different herb with flat or curly leaves and a fresher taste, so it is not interchangeable with dill in pickles.

fool

For the slang meaning, fool is the general word, while dill is lighter, friendlier and mainly Australian.

twit

Twit is a British slang word for a silly person, similar in tone to the Australian dill.

Word family

dill pickle noun

a cucumber pickled with dill

dill weed noun

the leaves of the dill plant

dillier adjective

informal comparative form meaning sillier, rare

Commonly confused: dill or dull? dill or fennel?

Practice

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