pan-fry also pan·fry (p?n?fr??)tr.v. pan-fried, pan-fry·ing, pan-fries also pan·fried or pan·fry·ing or pan·fries To fry in a frying pan or skillet with a small amount of fat.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.pan-fry vb (tr) , -fries, -frying or -friedto cook or fry in a frying panCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014pan?-fry? v.t. -fried, -fry?ing. to sauté in a frying pan. [1940?45] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.