What does pickle mean?
A pickle is a food produced by preserving vegetables, fruit, or other ingredients in a salty, acidic, or seasoned liquid. The resulting food often has a sharp, tangy flavor and a firm or crisp texture, depending on the ingredient and the length of preservation. The verb pickle describes the preservation process itself. In British informal English, a pickle can also mean a predicament: someone who is in a pickle is in a confusing or difficult situation. These meanings share the central idea of being kept in a strongly flavored liquid, while the informal sense extends the word metaphorically to describe a troublesome position. Pickles appear in many cuisines and are especially associated with meals involving sandwiches, burgers, and other savory foods.
A food made by preserving vegetables, fruit, or other ingredients in brine, vinegar, or another seasoned liquid; informally, a troublesome situation or predicament.
"He opened a jar of homemade pickles."
To preserve food in brine, vinegar, or another seasoned liquid.
"Fresh cucumbers are pickled in a refrigerated brine."
The plural is used for individual preserved foods or, informally, for difficult situations.
"These pickles are crisp and pleasantly sour."
The word pickle can describe both a crunchy preserved food and, in British informal English, a person’s troublesome situation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pickle come from?
The word dates to the Middle English period and was used for a brine or seasoned liquid in which food was preserved. Its culinary meaning developed from this earlier sense, and the verb came to mean preserving food in such a liquid. The word's exact ultimate origin is uncertain, and its later metaphorical sense for a predicament is a conventional extension of the idea of something preserved in a difficult or restrictive condition.
How pickle is actually used
The noun meaning a preserved food is common in British and American English. The sense meaning a predicament is especially associated with British informal English, though it is also understood elsewhere. As a verb, pickle usually describes preserving food rather than putting it into a storage jar.
Easily confused with pickle
As a food, a pickle is a preserved vegetable or fruit; as an informal noun, it means a predicament or difficult situation.