wiener

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableAmerican

   A thin, smoked sausage made of finely ground meat, usually served in a soft bun and eaten as a hot dog.

   Grammar: Counted like other foods: one wiener, two wieners.

   Patterns

   • wiener in a bun
   • wieners on the grill

   He put two wieners on the grill and toasted the buns.

   The stand sells a large wiener with mustard and onions.

   Wieners are cheap, so we serve them at every picnic.

2. 2nouncountableslanginformaldisapproving

   A person regarded as weak, foolish or annoying.

   Grammar: Used about a person in casual speech: don't be such a wiener.

   Patterns

   • be a wiener

   Don't be a wiener; just ask her for help.

   He felt like a total wiener after tripping over his own feet.

   The kids called him a wiener, which hurt more than he let on.

3. 3nouncountableslanghumorousvulgar

   A joking or childish word for a penis.

   Grammar: Humorous and slightly rude, so it is best avoided in polite company.

   The comedian's wiener joke got a nervous laugh from the crowd.

   Parents may blush when a toddler announces the word wiener in public.

   In this sense wiener is considered crude, so teachers usually discourage it.

Word forms

Common combinations

grill a wiener

We grilled a wiener over the campfire for each child.

wiener roast

The scouts held a wiener roast by the lake.

wiener dog

Their wiener dog barked at every passing bicycle.

wiener schnitzel

We ordered wiener schnitzel at a small café in Vienna.

wiener and beans

Wiener and beans was a cheap supper in my grandparents' house.

Synonyms and how they differ

hot dog

Hot dog usually means the sausage together with its bun, while wiener can name the sausage alone.

frankfurter

Frankfurter is the more formal or European name for this sausage and sounds slightly old-fashioned in American speech.

frank

Frank is a short, casual shortening of frankfurter and is rarely used by speakers outside the United States.

Word family

Wiener adjective

German word for Viennese, from which the sausage name comes

wienerwurst noun

the full German-derived name for Vienna sausage

weenie noun

an informal variant spelling and pronunciation, also used for a weakling

Commonly confused: wiener or weiner?

Practice

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