English Reference

Word

weiner

Phoneticswein·er

/ˈwaɪnɝ/

Definition

n. a small sausage that you usually eat in a long bun. It is also a slang word for someone who is weak or acting silly.

n. a smoked sausage of bovine or porcine origin, typically served in a sandwich roll. In informal North American English, it serves as a pejorative for a person perceived as weak, socially inept, or overly cautious.

Examples

“He ate a grilled weiner with mustard at the baseball game.”

“The kids roasted every weiner they had over the campfire until the skins turned black and crispy.”

Examples

simple

“He ate a grilled weiner with mustard at the baseball game.”

contextual

“The kids roasted every weiner they had over the campfire until the skins turned black and crispy.”

Usage

Often spelled 'wiener' in formal contexts; the 'weiner' spelling is a common variant in casual American English.

Pitfall

a weiner dog

a wiener dog

While 'weiner' is a common spelling for the food or the insult, the breed name 'Dachshund' is more traditionally nicknamed with the 'ie' spelling.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference