noun
skewer
SKYOO-uh
noun
1
A thin metal or wooden rod used to hold pieces of food together while cooking.
"Thread the chicken and peppers onto the skewer before grilling."
verb
1
To pierce something through with a skewer or similar pointed object.
"He skewered the marshmallow on a stick."
2
To sharply criticize or mock someone or something.
"The critic skewered the film in her review."
How to Use Skewer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA cooking spike for food, or (figuratively) to pierce through — literally or with harsh criticism.
Common pairings
kebab skewer
skewer someone in a review
skewer the meat
Word Forms
skewered past tense, skewers plural, skewers plural, skewers singular
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Thread the chicken and peppers onto the _____ before grilling.
Etymology
From Middle English, likely related to a North Germanic root connected to words for "slicing," such as Norwegian "skive."