fries
fries — noun
1. potato sticks cut into slender shapes and cooked in very hot oil until the outsi
potato sticks cut into slender shapes and cooked in very hot oil until the outside turns brown and the inside stays soft; a common fast-food side dish.
Maeve ordered a cheeseburger with a large side of fries at the diner.
collocation: side of fries
The children dipped their fries into ketchup and ate them while the movie played.
collocation: dip fries in ketchup
Quan asked for extra salt and vinegar on his fries from the food truck.
Baraka prefers thick-cut fries over the thin, crispy ones that most places serve.
The cafe serves sweet potato fries as a lighter alternative to regular potato fries.
- French fries
more formal or written than 'fries'; used on menus and packaging
- chips
standard British term; in the US, 'chips' means crisp, thin fried potato slices
文法句型
fries (plural noun, no singular form in this sense)
用法筆記
In British English, these are most often called 'chips', while in American English they are called 'fries' or 'French fries'. The singular form 'fry' is rarely used for a single piece of this food.
常見錯誤
fries — verb
- friespresent simple I / you / we / they
- frieses3rd person singular
- friesing-ing form
- friesedpast simple
1. to prepare food by heating it in hot oil or melted fat inside a cooking vessel s
to prepare food by heating it in hot oil or melted fat inside a cooking vessel set over direct heat, so that the outside becomes crisp and brown.
Vikram fries the chicken pieces in a pan with garlic and ginger until golden.
transitive: fry + object
The onions should fry gently for about five minutes until they turn soft and sweet.
intransitive: fry + adverb + time
Antonia fried two eggs in butter for her breakfast this morning.
The recipe says to fry the vegetables over high heat for only two minutes.
Nicholas always fries his fish in olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
- steam
to cook using hot steam instead of oil
文法句型
fry + object (food)
fry + adverb (fry slowly)
fry + for + time
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'deep-fry', which means to cook food fully submerged in hot oil. 'Fry' usually implies shallower oil that covers only part of the food.
常見錯誤
2. to execute someone by sending a powerful electric current through their body usi
to execute someone by sending a powerful electric current through their body using an electric chair, as a form of capital punishment — mostly used in informal or historical contexts.
The prison guard said that three men had been fried in that old electric chair.
passive: be fried in electric chair
The novel follows an innocent man whom the state nearly fried for a murder he did not commit.
Ryan read that the state planned to fry the convicted killer at midnight.
The documentary interviewed witnesses who saw the electric chair fry the prisoner in 1962.
- electrocute
the formal, standard term for killing by electric shock
文法句型
be fried (by executioner/state)
fry + person (on electric chair)
用法筆記
This is an informal, slang term for electrocution by electric chair. The formal term is 'electrocute'. In modern contexts, use 'execute by electrocution' or simply 'electrocute'.
常見錯誤
3. to cause an electronic device or its internal parts to stop working by making th
to cause an electronic device or its internal parts to stop working by making them extremely hot, typically because an electrical fault sends too much power through them.
A sudden power surge fried Zayd's computer motherboard during the thunderstorm.
cause: power surge fries device
Sivan plugged the wrong charger into her phone and fried the battery completely.
The repair shop said the lightning strike had fried every circuit in the house.
Min accidentally dropped the hairdryer into the sink and fried the motor beyond repair.
- burn out
to stop working because of overheating; slightly less dramatic than 'fry'
- short-circuit
to fail due to an electrical fault that creates an unintended path for current
文法句型
fry + electronic device
be fried by surge/power spike
用法筆記
Common in informal conversation about electronics. The more formal alternatives are 'overheat and damage', 'short-circuit', or 'burn out'.
常見錯誤
4. to become extremely hot under strong sunlight or heat, often with the idea that
to become extremely hot under strong sunlight or heat, often with the idea that one might get sunburned or feel uncomfortably hot.
The tourists lay on the beach and fried under the midday sun for hours.
intransitive: fry under the sun
Pedro forgot his hat and fried in the garden while weeding the vegetable patch.
The pavement was so hot that the fallen leaves fried on the ground within minutes.
Erik warned the campers not to fry in the sun without applying sunscreen first.
文法句型
fry (without object)
fry in/under the sun
用法筆記
Always implies the sun or another heat source as the cause. Not used for simply feeling warm — there must be an intensity that causes burning or extreme discomfort.