What does skewered mean?
“Skewered” describes food that has been pierced with a thin rod or arranged for cooking and serving on several such rods. It is especially common in culinary descriptions involving meat, vegetables, fruit, and other foods prepared for grilling or sharing. The word can also describe anything caught or pinned on a sharp point, as in an insect on a thorn, though this use may carry a more vivid or violent association. As the past participle of “skewer,” it appears naturally in phrases such as “skewered chicken” or “skewered vegetables.” It should not be confused with “skewed,” which means tilted, distorted, or biased rather than pierced with a stick.
Pierced with a skewer, or arranged on one or more skewers, especially for cooking or serving.
"They brought out trays of skewered kebabs."
This adjectival use is especially common in descriptions of food.
Past tense and past participle of “skewer”: to pierce or thread something onto a skewer.
"The chef skewered the onions before grilling them."
In the past tense, the action is normally presented as completed; in the past participle, it may describe the resulting state.
A skewer turns an ordinary piece of food into something designed to be shared.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skewered come from?
“Skewered” was formed by adding the suffix “-ed” to the verb “skewer.” “Skewer” has been used in English since the medieval period, although its deeper historical origin is uncertain.
Related word forms
How skewered is actually used
In culinary contexts, “skewered” commonly describes pieces of food threaded onto a thin rod or stick. Outside cooking, the expression may evoke a piercing or trapping action, sometimes with a violent implication.
Easily confused with skewered
“Skewed” means tilted, distorted, or biased, whereas “skewered” means pierced with a skewer or arranged on skewers.