French Fries: Meaning, Pronunciation, and Usage

Meaning 1：deep-fried potato strips (French Fries)

French Fries 🔊

/frentʃ fraɪz/

A food made from potatoes cut into strips and deep-fried until golden and crispy.

Golden crispy French fries on a plate with ketchup

deep-fried potato strips 🔊

➕

/diːp fraɪd pəˈteɪtoʊ strɪps/

A popular side dish made from potatoes cut into long, thin strips and deep-fried until golden and crispy.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

French (from France) + Fries (plural of fry, from Old French frire, to fry).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of France and frying potatoes until golden—French Fries!

📖 Example

During our weekend outing, we ordered a burger and a large serving of French fries to share. 🔊 During our weekend outing, we ordered a burger and a large serving of French fries to share.

🔗 Collocations

a serving of French fries – a portion of deep-fried potato strips

crispy French fries – French fries that are firm and crunchy on the outside

ketchup with French fries – a common condiment pairing for fried potatoes

🔄 Synonyms

potato fries (n.) – Another term for French fries, emphasizing the main ingredient.

chips (n.) – British English term for French fries, typically thicker and softer.

frites (n.) – Belgian or French term for French fries, often served with mayonnaise.

🌱 Derivatives

fry (v.) – to cook in hot oil

frier (n.) – a device or person that fries food

fries (n.) – shortened form of French fries

📖 Cultural Story

The term likely originated during World War I when American soldiers in Belgium were served fried potatoes, and they called them 'French' because the local language was French (Walloon). The name stuck.