fried

adjective

ˈfrīd 

1

: cooked in hot oil or butter : cooked by frying

fried eggs

fried chicken

fried dough

2

: damaged or destroyed by an electrical surge or malfunction

The man behind the counter hooked up my computer to another machine and then gave me the bad news. "I'm afraid your hard drive is fried," the technician said.

—Tom McNichol

3

US, informal

a

: intoxicated, high

… too fried on crystal meth to be gambling on a game of pool, but doing it nonetheless.

—Joseph Wambaugh

… what about that time you got fried at the frat house after the big game against State and the judge fined you $50 and costs for dropping quarts of beer in paper bags out the second-floor window?

—Russell Baker

b

: mentally exhausted

At dinner after the book signing, he's fried, barely able to converse.

—Rick Martin

After spending about 14 hours on ESPN Radio, SportsCenter and espn.com, Gammons was completely fried.

—Rich Eisen

Synonyms

• besotted
• blasted [slang]
• blind
• blitzed [slang]
• blotto [slang]
• bombed
• boozy
• canned [slang]
• cockeyed
• crocked
• drunk
• drunken
• gassed
• hammered [slang]
• high
• impaired
• inebriate
• inebriated
• intoxicated
• juiced [slang]
• lit
• lit up
• loaded [slang]
• looped
• oiled [slang]
• pickled
• pie-eyed
• plastered
• potted [slang]
• ripped [slang]
• sloshed [slang]
• smashed [slang]
• sottish
• soused
• sozzled
• squiffed
• squiffy
• stewed
• stiff
• stinking [slang]
• stoned
• tanked [slang]
• tiddly [chiefly British]
• tight
• tipsy
• wasted [slang]
• wet
• wiped out [slang]

Examples of fried in a Sentence

Sorry, I'm just fried today.

grew up in a family in which Dad got fried on every weekend and holiday

Recent Examples on the Web

On offer at the moment are imperial rolls ($9), chicken wings ($12), garlic noodles ($11) and a fried banana ($5). —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025

Hutch’s Pie and Sandwich Shop, a 90-year-old bakery which grew into a regional fried pie company, will close Feb. 15, the Hutchens family posted on Facebook. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2025

The waterfront location is certainly the highlight of the experience, but it’s complemented by a robust menu featuring fried oysters, chicken wings, burgers, and fish and chips. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2025

Two-Piece Fried Chicken Box ($7): Two pieces of fried chicken (Original Recipe or Extra Crispy) drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey, plus your choice of an individual side and biscuit. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fried

• chicken-fried steak
• fried rice