What does griller mean?
The word griller most often names an appliance used to cook food by direct radiant heat, typically with an open flame or a powered heating element. In North American English, it frequently refers to an outdoor barbecue, although gas and electric indoor grillers also exist. The word can less commonly denote a person who grills food, particularly someone skilled at cooking over a barbecue. Its unusual feature is that the same ending may identify either the worker or the tool: one can call both the cook and the cooking apparatus a griller. In general use, however, the appliance sense dominates. The word is especially useful when distinguishing a purpose-built grilling device from an ordinary oven, a frying pan, or a grill used to sear food quickly. Pronounced with stress on the first syllable, griller belongs to everyday culinary vocabulary rather than specialist technical terminology.
nounA griller is a device or appliance for cooking food by direct radiant heat, especially over an open flame or heating element; in North American English it often means a barbecue. Less commonly, it means a person who grills food.
- An appliance or device for grilling food, especially an outdoor barbecue or similar cooking apparatus.
- A person whose work or skill involves grilling food.
"She brushed the vegetables with oil and placed them on the hot griller."
"The gas griller was already heating up when the guests arrived."
"After years working behind restaurant stoves, she became a confident griller."
The standard plural of the count noun; it may refer to multiple cooking appliances or multiple people who grill food.
"The shop sells portable gas grillers for small patios."
A griller can be either the chef or the machine doing the cooking: the suffix -er can name a person or a tool.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does griller come from?
Griller is an English formation built from grill and the suffix -er, which can indicate either an agent or an instrument. Grill came into English from French gril, ultimately from Latin craticula, a diminutive associated with cratis, meaning wickerwork or a hurdle. This shared ancestry accounts for related English words such as grille, grate, and grillwork.
How griller is actually used
The appliance sense is especially common in North American English, where a griller is often what other varieties call a barbecue or grill. The person sense is relatively uncommon, and cook or barbecue chef may sound more natural in many contexts.
Easily confused with griller
A griller cooks food, whereas a grille is a framework of metal bars used as a screen, barrier, or decorative feature.