What does barbecue mean?

Definitions for barbecue
ˈbɑr bɪˌkyubar·be·cue

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word barbecue.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. barbecue, barbequenoun

    meat that has been barbecued or grilled in a highly seasoned sauce

  2. barbecue, barbequenoun

    a cookout in which food is cooked over an open fire; especially a whole animal carcass roasted on a spit

  3. barbecue, barbequeverb

    a rack to hold meat for cooking over hot charcoal usually out of doors

  4. barbeque, barbecue, cook outverb

    cook outdoors on a barbecue grill

    "let's barbecue that meat"; "We cooked out in the forest"

Wiktionary

  1. barbecuenoun

    A fireplace or pit for grilling food, typically used outdoors and traditionally employing hot charcoal as the heating medium.

  2. barbecuenoun

    A meal or event highlighted by food cooked on a barbecue.

    We're having a barbecue on Saturday, and you're invited.

  3. barbecueverb

    To cook food on a barbecue; to grill.

  4. Etymology: From barbacoa, from barbakoa, the raised wooden structure the Indians used to either sleep on or cure meat. Originally “meal of roasted meat or fish”.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Barbecuenoun

    A hog drest whole, in the West Indian manner.

  2. To Barbecueverb

    A term used in the West-Indies for dressing a hog whole; which, being split to the backbone, is laid flat upon a large gridiron, raised about two foot above a charcoal fire, with which it is surrounded.

    Oldfield, with more than harpy throat endu’d,
    Cries, send me, gods, a whole hog barbecu’d. Alexander Pope.

ChatGPT

  1. barbecue

    A barbecue is a method or style of cooking food by grilling, smoking, or roasting it over an open fire or on a special appliance. It primarily involves meats but can also include vegetables or other foods. The term can also refer to a social gathering where food is cooked this way, and additionally, it can mean the grill or other outdoor structure used for such cooking. The flavor is often enhanced with the use of specific sauces, marinades, or spices.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Barbecuenoun

    a hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast

  2. Barbecuenoun

    a social entertainment, where many people assemble, usually in the open air, at which one or more large animals are roasted or broiled whole

  3. Barbecuenoun

    a floor, on which coffee beans are sun-dried

  4. Barbecueverb

    to dry or cure by exposure on a frame or gridiron

  5. Barbecueverb

    to roast or broil whole, as an ox or hog

Wikidata

  1. Barbecue

    Barbecue is a method and apparatus for char grilling food in the hot smoke of a wood fire, usually charcoal fueled. In the United States, to grill is to cook in this manner quickly, while barbecue is typically a much slower method utilizing less heat than grilling, attended to over an extended period of several hours. The term as a noun can refer to the meat or to the cooking apparatus itself. The term as an adjective can refer to foods cooked by this method. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecue is usually done in an outdoor environment by cooking and smoking the meat over wood or charcoal. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens specially designed for that purpose. Barbecue has numerous regional variations in many parts of the world.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Barbecue

    bärb′e-kū, v.t. to roast whole, as a pig: to cure flesh by exposing it on a barbecue.—n. a framework on which to dry and smoke meat above a fire: an animal roasted whole: an open floor on which coffee-beans and the like are spread out to dry: (Amer.) a large social or political entertainment, where the hospitalities are on a lavish scale. [Sp. barbacoa—Haytian barbacòa, a framework of sticks set upon posts.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. barbecue

    A tropical custom of dressing a pig whole.

Suggested Resources

  1. Barbecue

    Barbeque vs. Barbecue -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Barbeque and Barbecue.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce barbecue?

How to say barbecue in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of barbecue in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of barbecue in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of barbecue in a Sentence

  1. Daniel Vaughn:

    My definition of barbecue has only expanded. The more that I explore the subject, the more the subject grows.

  2. Steven Raichlen:

    When it comes to barbecue, Kansas City still rules.

  3. Howard Conyers:

    Barbecue was perfected at the hands of enslaved Africans for over 350 years in the American South, these individuals weren't able to read and write to tell their own stories. We want to see this barbecue tradition uplifted, celebrated and become more of a central piece in the African-American community.

  4. Paul Offit:

    You are about to give a vaccine to tens of millions of people, i really wouldn't issue a press release about a number of people who you could invite to a small outdoor barbecue.

  5. Hidezo Sato:

    Some people have suggested a barbecue area or a promenade.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for barbecue

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"barbecue." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/barbecue>.

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