Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pickles, present participle pickling, past tense, past participle pickled
1. plural noun
Pickles are vegetables or fruit, sometimes cut into pieces, which have been kept in vinegar or salt water for a long time so that they have a strong, sharp taste.
Another strong Yorkshire country tradition is making pickles and chutneys.
2. variable noun
Pickle is a cold spicy sauce with pieces of vegetables and fruit in it.
...jars of pickle.
Synonyms: chutney, relish, piccalilli More Synonyms of pickle
3. verb
When you pickle food, you keep it in vinegar or salt water so that it does not go bad and it develops a strong, sharp taste.
Select your favourite fruit or veg and pickle them while they are still fresh. [VERB noun]
Herrings can be salted, smoked and pickled. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: preserve, marinade, keep, cure More Synonyms of pickle
picklinguncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Small pickling onions can be used instead of sliced ones.
4. singular noun [aNOUN]
If you are ina pickle, you are in a difficult and awkward situation.
[informal]
Companies find themselves in a pickle when their markets change.
Caroline had certainly got herself into a pickle this time.
Synonyms: predicament, spot [informal], fix [informal], difficulty More Synonyms of pickle
pickle in British English
(ˈpɪkəl)
noun
1. (often plural)
vegetables, such as cauliflowers, onions, etc, preserved in vinegar, brine, etc
2.
any food preserved in this way
3.
a liquid or marinade, such as spiced vinegar, for preserving vegetables, meat, fish, etc
4. mainly US and Canadian
a cucumber that has been preserved and flavoured in a pickling solution, such as brine or vinegar
5. informal
an awkward or difficult situation
to be in a pickle
6. British informal
a mischievous child
verb(transitive)
7.
to preserve in a pickling liquid
8.
to immerse (a metallic object) in a liquid, such as an acid, to remove surface scale
Derived forms
pickler (ˈpickler)
noun
Word origin
C14: perhaps from Middle Dutch pekel; related to German Pökel brine
pickle in American English
(ˈpɪkəl)
noun
1.
any brine, vinegar, or spicy solution used to preserve or marinate food
2.
a vegetable, specif. a cucumber, preserved in such a solution
3.
a chemical bath used to clear metal of scale, preserve wood, etc.
4. Informal
an awkward or difficult situation; plight
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈpickled or ˈpickling
5.
to treat with or preserve in a pickle solution
SIMILAR WORDS: preˈdicament
Word origin
ME pikil < MDu pekel < ? picken, to prick, in sense “that which pricks, or is piquant”
Examples of 'pickle' in a sentence
pickle
Slice in half and serve with the dill pickle.
The Sun (2015)
It was worth going just for the cheese and pickle sandwiches.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This consists of cured meats and pickles served with delicious oozing melted cheese.
The Sun (2012)
Try mozzarella and tomatoes rather than cheese and pickle.
The Sun (2007)
Present in vinegar which thereby can be used to preserve or pickle foods.
Mayes, Adrienne The Dictionary of Nutritional Health (1986)
They combine well with quickly pickled cucumber and rocket.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Pickles and sauces such as ketchup and mayo often contain more salt than you think.
The Sun (2010)
He served it in a buttered bun with two dill pickle slices.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Cheese and pickle and a heart attack anyone?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Or a cheese and pickle sandwich.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's also a preservative so most pickles contain vinegar of some kind.
The Sun (2014)
On the bar sat jars of pickles, preserves and olives.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Alternatively, bottle some or stew up a chutney or pickle.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
After cooking, either freeze or pickle in vinegar.
The Sun (2011)
Good with a chunky tomato sauce or pickle, or a big crunchy salad.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Add the dill pickles, mint and chilli.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
I also like the flavour from vinegar around pickles.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Serve the cauliflower mash with the curry, topped with fresh coriander and a spoonful of lime pickle or mango chutney.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Pink fish overpowered by pickles.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She puts a lunch tray of salad in front of me and a supper tray of something simple like cold meat, pickles and fruit.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Onions put West Indies in a pickle.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
With a dash of balsamic vinegar and some sugar, you have luxurious strands of sweet, lightly pickled onions.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He was not a good cook, but had a pronounced taste for spicy pickles, opening new jars before the old ones in the fridge had been finished.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
pickle
British English: pickle NOUN
Pickles are vegetables or fruit, which have been kept in liquid for a long time to give them a strong, sharp taste.
...a bowl of sliced pickles in lemon juice.
American English: pickle
Brazilian Portuguese: picles
Chinese: 泡菜
European Spanish: encurtidos
French: pickles
German: Pickles
Italian: sottaceti
Japanese: ピクルス
Korean: 피클
European Portuguese: pickles
Latin American Spanish: pickles
British English: pickle VERB
When you pickle food, you keep it in vinegar or salt water so that it does not go bad, and it develops a strong, sharp taste.
Select your favourite fruit or vegetable and pickle them while they are still fresh.
American English: pickle
Brazilian Portuguese: conservar em vinagre
Chinese: 腌制
European Spanish: conservar en vinagre
French: conserver dans du vinaigre
German: einlegen
Italian: mettere sottaceto
Japanese: 漬物にする
Korean: 피클을 만들다
European Portuguese: conservar em vinagre
Latin American Spanish: conservar en vinagre
Chinese translation of 'pickle'
pickle
(ˈpɪkl)
n(c/u)
(= preserve) 腌(醃)菜 (yāncài)
vt
(in vinegar) 腌(醃)渍(漬) (yānzì)
(in brine) 腌(醃)制(製) (yānzhì)
to be/get in a pickle (inf) 处(處)于(於)/进(進)入进(進)退两(兩)难(難)的境地 (chǔyú/jìnrù jìntuì liǎngnán de jìngdì)
Derived Forms
picklesn pl腌(醃)菜 (yāncài)
(verb)
Definition
to preserve or treat in a pickling liquid
Herrings can be salted, smoked and pickled.Pickle your favourite vegetables while they're still fresh.
Synonyms
preserve
ginger preserved in syrup
marinade
keep
We want to keep as many players as we can.
cure
Legs of pork were cured and smoked over the fire.
steep
1 (noun)
Definition
food, esp. vegetables preserved in vinegar or brine
jars of pickle
Synonyms
chutney
relish
piccalilli
2 (noun)
Definition
an awkward or difficult situation
(informal)
Connie had got herself into a real pickle this time.
Synonyms
predicament
The decision will leave her in a predicament.
spot (informal)
In a tight spot there is no one I would sooner see than Frank.
fix (informal)
The government has got itself in a fix.
difficulty
The main difficulty has been getting enough students to try out the scheme.
bind (informal)
It is expensive to buy and a bind to carry home.
jam (informal)
It could get the government out of a jam.
dilemma
The issue raises a moral dilemma.
scrape (informal)
We got into terrible scrapes.
hot water (informal)
uphill (South Africa)
This job has been a real uphill.
quandary
The anonymous letter creates a quandary for the judge.
tight spot
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bind
Definition
a difficult or annoying situation
It is expensive to buy and a bind to carry home.
Synonyms
nuisance,
inconvenience,
hassle (informal),
drag (informal),
spot (informal),
difficulty,
bore,
dilemma,
pest,
hot water (informal),
uphill (South Africa),
predicament,
annoyance,
quandary,
pain in the neck (informal),
pain in the arse (taboo, slang),
pain in the backside (informal),
pain in the butt (informal)
in the sense of cure
Definition
to preserve (leather or tobacco) by drying
Legs of pork were cured and smoked over the fire.
Synonyms
preserve,
smoke,
dry,
salt,
pickle,
kipper
in the sense of difficulty
Definition
an objection or obstacle
The main difficulty has been getting enough students to try out the scheme.
Synonyms
problem,
trouble,
obstacle,
hurdle,
dilemma,
hazard,
complication,
hassle (informal),
snag,
uphill (South Africa),
predicament,
pitfall,
stumbling block,
impediment,
hindrance,
tribulation,
quandary,
can of worms (informal),
point at issue,
disputed point
Nearby words of
pickle
pick-me-up
picket
pickings
pickle
pickpocket
picky
picnic
Synonyms of 'pickle'
pickle
Explore 'pickle' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dilemma
Definition
a situation offering a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives
The issue raises a moral dilemma.
Synonyms
predicament,
problem,
difficulty,
spot (informal),
fix (informal),
mess,
puzzle,
jam (informal),
embarrassment,
plight,
strait,
pickle (informal),
how-do-you-do (informal),
quandary,
perplexity,
tight corner or spot
in the sense of fix
Definition
a difficult situation
The government has got itself in a fix.
Synonyms
mess,
spot (informal),
corner,
hole (slang),
difficulty,
jam (informal),
dilemma,
embarrassment,
plight,
hot water (informal),
pickle (informal),
uphill (South Africa),
predicament,
difficult situation,
quandary,
tight spot,
ticklish situation
in the sense of jam
Definition
a difficult situation
It could get the government out of a jam.
Synonyms
predicament,
tight spot,
scrape (informal),
corner,
state,
situation,
trouble,
spot (informal),
hole (slang),
fix (informal),
bind,
emergency,
mess,
dilemma,
pinch,
plight,
strait,
hot water,
pickle (informal),
deep water,
quandary
in the sense of keep
Definition
to have or retain possession of (something)
We want to keep as many players as we can.
Synonyms
hold on to,
maintain,
retain,
keep possession of,
save,
preserve,
nurture,
cherish,
conserve
in the sense of quandary
Definition
a situation in which it is difficult to decide what to do
The anonymous letter creates a quandary for the judge.
Synonyms
difficulty,
dilemma,
predicament,
puzzle,
uncertainty,
embarrassment,
plight,
strait,
impasse,
bewilderment,
perplexity,
delicate situation,
cleft stick
in the sense of scrape
Definition
an awkward or embarrassing situation
We got into terrible scrapes.
Synonyms
predicament,
trouble,
difficulty,
spot (informal),
fix (informal),
mess,
distress,
dilemma,
plight,
tight spot,
awkward situation,
pretty pickle (informal)
in the sense of spot
Definition
an awkward situation
In a tight spot there is no one I would sooner see than Frank.