marinate

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   To soak food, especially meat or vegetables, in a seasoned liquid before cooking to add flavor or make it tender.

   Grammar: Takes an object: marinate the chicken. Often used with 'in': marinate the meat in wine.

   Patterns

   • marinate something in something
   • marinate something for + time
   • marinate something overnight

   Marinate the chicken in lemon juice and herbs for two hours.

   She marinated the vegetables in olive oil and garlic before grilling.

   The recipe says to marinate the beef overnight.

2. 2verbintransitive

   To be left in a marinade; to undergo the process of soaking in a seasoned liquid.

   Grammar: No object; often used with 'for' or 'overnight': let the meat marinate.

   Patterns

   • let something marinate
   • marinate for + time
   • marinate overnight

   Let the fish marinate for thirty minutes before cooking.

   The tofu needs to marinate overnight to absorb the flavors.

Word forms

Common combinations

marinate in

Marinate the shrimp in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger.

marinate for

Marinate the steak for at least an hour.

marinate overnight

The recipe suggests you marinate the ribs overnight.

marinated chicken

The marinated chicken was juicy and full of flavor.

let it marinate

After mixing, let it marinate in the fridge.

Synonyms and how they differ

soak

Soak means to leave something in liquid, usually water, to soften or clean it, not necessarily to add flavor.

steep

Steep is used for tea or herbs in hot water to extract flavor, not for meat before cooking.

Word family

marinade noun

The seasoned liquid in which food is soaked before cooking.

marinated adjective

Describing food that has been soaked in a marinade.

Commonly confused: marinate or marinade?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “marinate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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