What does gyro mean?
A gyro is a Greek-style sandwich made with sliced, seasoned meat—traditionally lamb or beef—cooked on a vertical spit and usually served in pita with toppings such as tzatziki, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. In American English, the word can refer either to the complete sandwich or, in phrases such as gyro meat, to the sliced filling itself. Gyro shops and the sandwich became especially familiar in the United States through Greek and other Mediterranean food traditions, while British speakers may use the term doner kebab more often. In a separate, less common sense, gyro is an informal shortening of gyroscope, a device that spins to preserve orientation or measure rotation. The word has become familiar largely because of its food sense, and it now often appears as the standard plural gyros when referring to multiple sandwiches or servings.
nounA sandwich made with slices of seasoned meat, traditionally lamb or beef, often served in pita or flatbread with tzatziki, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The word can also be used informally as a short form of gyroscope.
- A sandwich of seasoned meat, usually lamb or beef, served in pita or flatbread with sauces and vegetables.
- An informal shortened form of gyroscope, meaning a spinning instrument that maintains orientation or measures rotation.
"She ordered a gyro with extra tzatziki and a side of Greek salad."
"We split a gyro and shared the fries while the game was on."
"The aircraft's gyro helped the pilot maintain a stable heading."
The standard plural is gyros, especially when referring to multiple sandwiches or servings of gyro meat.
"They bought three gyros for lunch and ate them in the park."
The word points to a circle—and to the spinning spit that gives gyro meat its distinctive shape.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gyro come from?
The instrument sense of gyro comes through gyroscope, a nineteenth-century coinage based on Greek gyros, meaning “circle” or “round,” combined with the suffix -scope, referring to an instrument for viewing or observing. The food sense belongs to modern Greek usage for meat cooked on a rotating vertical spit and entered English through Greek sandwich shops, particularly in the United States. Words such as gyre, gyrate, and gyration share the same Greek root.
Related word forms
How gyro is actually used
In food contexts, gyro is standard in American English and is widely understood elsewhere; in British English, doner kebab is also common. The instrument sense is an informal abbreviation and is less frequent than gyroscope.
Easily confused with gyro
A gyro is usually a Greek-style meat sandwich, whereas a gyroscope is a spinning instrument used to maintain orientation or measure rotation.