[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/fry/)

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# fry

verb (fry, fries, fried, frying); noun (fry — young fish; fries — chips)

«fry» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To fry food is to cook it in hot oil or fat in a pan. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#m1)
2. Fries (plural) are long thin pieces of potato cooked in oil, called «chips» in the UK and Ireland. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#m2)
3. Fry are very young fish just hatched. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#m3)
4. "Small fry" can also mean unimportant people or things. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life and cooking lessons: fry eggs, bacon, fish; «fish and chips»; «a fry-up» (UK breakfast). In science, fish life cycles go from egg to fry to adult. Phrases: «fry an egg», «French fries», «small fry» (unimportant people), «stir-fry».

### Examples

- Can you fry an egg for me? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x1)
- Mum fried the fish in a little oil. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x2)
- I'd like a burger and fries. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x3)
- The fry swam in the shallow water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x4)
- Let's make a stir-fry with vegetables. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x5)
- Fry the onions until they are soft. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x6)
- In the UK, fries are usually called chips. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x7)
- Don't worry about him — he's just small fry. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x8)
- "No small fry for me," he said. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/#x9)

### Note

Forms: fry, fries, fried, frying. Fish «fry» is the same in singular and plural: «a thousand fry». Safety: never leave a frying pan alone on the hob; if oil catches fire, never pour water on it — an adult covers it with a lid and turns off the heat. In maths, fries appear in money problems.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «fry» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fry/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«fry» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fry.html) on Mova free.