peel
verb /piːl/
/piːl/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they peel | /piːl/ /piːl/ |
| he / she / it peels | /piːlz/ /piːlz/ |
| past simple peeled | /piːld/ /piːld/ |
| past participle peeled | /piːld/ /piːld/ |
| -ing form peeling | /ˈpiːlɪŋ/ /ˈpiːlɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] peel something to take the outer layer off fruit, vegetables, etc.
enlarge image- to peel an orange/a banana
- Have you peeled the potatoes?
Collocations CookingCookingPreparingTopics Cooking and eatingb2- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
- [transitive, intransitive] to remove a layer, etc. from the surface of something; to come off the surface of something
- peel something away/off/back Carefully peel away the lining paper.
- peel away/off/back The label will peel off if you soak it in water.
- peel something from something He peeled the wet clothes from his back.
Extra Examples- I peeled off £100 and gave it to him.
- She peeled back the blankets.
- [intransitive] peel (off) (of a layer that covers something) to come off in narrow or small pieces
- The wallpaper was beginning to peel.
Extra Examples- The skin on her back began to peel off.
- The paint was peeling off the door.
- [intransitive] (of a surface) to lose narrow or small pieces of something that covers something
- Put on some cream to stop your nose from peeling.
- The walls have begun to peel.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘to plunder’): variant of dialect pill, from Latin pilare ‘to strip hair from’, from pilus ‘hair’. The differentiation of peel and pill may have been by association with the French verbs peler ‘to peel’ and piller ‘to pillage’.
Idioms
keep your eyes peeled/skinned (for somebody/something)
- (informal) to look out for somebody/something that you might see
- We kept our eyes peeled for any signs of life.
