What does broiled mean?
Broiled describes food that has been cooked by direct radiant heat rather than by surrounding hot air or immersion in water. In an oven, this means placing food close beneath a powerful top element, which sears the surface quickly and produces the browning, caramelization, and slight charring associated with grilling. The word serves both as the past tense and past participle of the verb 'broil' and as an adjective, appearing most often on menus and in recipes — broiled salmon, broiled chicken, broiled grapefruit. It carries connotations of lean, quick, high-heat cooking, and is often chosen over fried alternatives when a lighter preparation is desired. Regional usage matters: in American English, broiling happens under a heat source, while grilling happens over one; in British English the same method is simply called grilling, making 'broiled' a distinctly transatlantic term. Beyond the kitchen, it appears informally to describe being scorched by the weather, as in people broiling on a sweltering afternoon.
Past tense and past participle of 'broil': to have cooked something, or been cooked, by direct radiant heat.
"He broiled the peppers until they were blackened in spots."
In American English, broiling uses a top heat source; British speakers typically say 'grilled.'
Describing food that has been cooked by direct radiant heat.
"The menu featured broiled swordfish with herb butter."
The same dish called 'broiled' in New York would be ordered as 'grilled' in London — one word, an ocean of confusion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broiled
The cooking verb 'broil' came into Middle English from Old French 'brûler' (earlier forms such as 'bruillir'), meaning to burn or char, ultimately tracing back through Vulgar Latin '*bustulare' to the Latin 'bustum,' a funeral pyre or place of burning. This fiery lineage makes the modern culinary sense — cooking by intense direct heat — remarkably faithful to its origins. The word has been part of English since at least the late Middle Ages, long before the kitchen appliance now known as the broiler gave it a household name in America.
Related word forms
How broiled is actually used
'Broiled' is primarily American English for cooking under a top heat source; British speakers more often say 'grilled' for the same technique. The figurative sense ('we were broiling in the sun') is informal.
Easily confused with broiled
'Boiled' means cooked in boiling water or liquid, while 'broiled' means cooked by direct dry heat such as a flame or heating element.
In American usage 'broiled' refers to cooking under a top heat source, whereas 'grilled' means cooking over a bottom heat source; in British English, however, what Americans call 'broiling' is usually called 'grilling.'