What does sear mean?
To sear is to expose food to intense heat briefly so that its surface browns and develops a rich flavor, as when a chef sears meat in a hot pan before cooking it more gently. The word can also mean to scorch, char, or burn something, and in literary language it can describe drying or withering. Sear is especially useful when describing the initial high-heat stage of cooking, where the goal is to create a browned exterior without overcooking the interior. Outside culinary contexts, it has a more dramatic quality, often suggesting damage from heat, dryness, or scorching. The verb forms seared and searing are common, especially in descriptions of food and cooking.
To brown the surface of food quickly using intense heat; also, to scorch or char something.
"Sear the bread on each side until it is golden brown."
The culinary meaning is the dominant modern sense.
To become, or cause something to become, dry and withered.
"The hot wind seared the grass across the hillside."
This sense is literary and less common than the culinary meaning.
In cooking, a sear is the brief encounter with intense heat that gives food a rich, browned surface and locks in its juices.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sear come from?
The word comes from the adjective sear, meaning dry, withered, or burnt, which existed in Old English and was related to the older English word sere, meaning dry. The verb developed from this adjective and came to mean making something dry or withered. Its modern culinary sense, meaning to brown food quickly with intense heat, developed much later from the idea of exposing a surface to scorching heat.
Related word forms
How sear is actually used
In culinary contexts, sear is common and usually means to brown food quickly at high heat. Its literary senses involving dryness, withering, or burning are less common and often carry a vivid or dramatic tone.
Easily confused with sear
A seer is a person regarded as able to foresee the future, whereas a sear is something that is scorched or dried.