gridiron

noun

grid·iron ˈgrid-ˌī(-ə)rn

: a grate for broiling food

Put the steaks on the gridiron.

: something consisting of or covered with a network

a gridiron of streets

: a football field

The two teams will face each other on the gridiron.

Did you know?

Modern gridirons are covered in football players when they're in use, but the original gridirons were more likely to be covered with meat or fish; they were metal gratings used for broiling food over an open fire. In Middle English, such a grating was called a gredil, a root that gave modern English both gridiron and griddle. How did gridiron become associated with football? That happened in the late 1800s, when a white grid pattern was added to football fields to help enforce new rules about how many yards a team had to gain to keep possession of the ball. From high up in the stands, the lines made the playing fields look like cooking gridirons.

Examples of gridiron in a Sentence

The book recounts his many moments of glory on the gridiron.

Recent Examples on the Web Brady spoke about transitioning from the gridiron to broadcasting ahead of his first season in the booth at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday afternoon. —

Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 16 Aug. 2024 The career move marks his return to the gridiron since his retirement after 23 seasons playing in the NFL. —

Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2024 Following a whirlwind summer with girlfriend Taylor Swift and subsequent reunion with his teammates at training camp, NFL star Travis Kelce made his return to the gridiron during the Kansas City Chiefs' first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. —

Vic Verbalaitis, Peoplemag, 11 Aug. 2024 Pitbull will look to bring his mojo for success to the school as it’s been tough sledding for FIU on the gridiron. —

Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gridiron

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gridiron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.