wiener

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/ˈwiːnər/
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An informal word for a small sausage, and in slang a childish word for a penis or a weak, foolish person.

Examples

  • In the show, the bully calls the nervous kid a wiener.
  • He grilled wieners for lunch.
  • She cut the wiener into small pieces for the soup.
  • The children wanted wieners and beans.
  • The comedian relied on old wiener jokes.

Similar words

Vienna sausage
phallus
loser
private part
sausage
weenie
frank
weenie
frankfurter
coward

Meanings

Small sausage or hot dog

noun
everyday
informal
A small cooked sausage, especially a frankfurter or hot dog sausage.

Usage

Use wiener mainly in informal North American English for a hot dog sausage. In food writing, frankfurter, hot dog, or Vienna sausage may be clearer depending on the product.

Examples

  • He grilled wieners for lunch.
  • The children wanted wieners and beans.
  • A wiener can be served in a bun with mustard.
  • The package contains eight beef wieners.
  • She cut the wiener into small pieces for the soup.

Common mistakes

Wiener sandwich is understandable but less common than hot dog when the sausage is served in a bun.
IncorrectCorrect
I ate a wiener sandwich. I ate a hot dog.
She grilled two wiener. She grilled two wieners.
The wiener are ready. The wieners are ready.

Similar words

Penis

noun
everyday
slang
A childish or humorous slang word for a penis.

Usage

Use wiener in this sense only in very informal or joking contexts. It can sound childish, teasing, or rude, so avoid it in medical, formal, or respectful speech.

Examples

  • The joke used wiener in a childish way.
  • He told the child that wiener was not the word to use at school.
  • The movie made a silly wiener joke.
  • In medical writing, use penis instead of wiener.
  • The comedian relied on old wiener jokes.

Common mistakes

Wiener is not a neutral medical word. Use penis in health, anatomy, and serious contexts.
IncorrectCorrect
The doctor examined his wiener. The doctor examined his penis.
The form asks about wiener pain. The form asks about penile pain.
He used the word in a formal report: wiener. He used the word in a formal report: penis.

Similar words

Weak or foolish person

noun
everyday
slang
A mildly insulting slang word for a person seen as weak, timid, silly, or socially awkward.

Usage

Use wiener in this sense only as casual teasing or quoted slang. It is not a serious description and can sound childish or insulting.

Examples

  • Stop acting like a wiener and ask the question.
  • The word wiener sounded more silly than cruel.
  • He called himself a wiener for forgetting his lines.
  • The insult felt childish: nobody wanted to be called a wiener.
  • In the show, the bully calls the nervous kid a wiener.

Common mistakes

He is wiener misses the article. The insult is usually he is a wiener.
IncorrectCorrect
He is wiener. He is a wiener.
Don't be such wiener. Don't be such a wiener.
They called him wieners. They called him a wiener.

Similar words

Usage

Use wiener mostly in informal contexts. For food, hot dog or frankfurter is often clearer. For anatomy, use penis in serious contexts. As an insult, wiener sounds childish and should be used with care.

Common mistakes

Wiener and Weiner are different spellings. Wiener is the usual spelling for the sausage word and its slang senses, while Weiner is often a surname.

Etymology

Shortened from Wienerwurst, German for Vienna sausage, from Wiener, meaning Viennese or from Vienna. The sausage sense came into English in the 19th century. The slang senses developed later from the sausage shape and from childish teasing uses.

FAQ

What does wiener mean?

It can mean a small sausage or hot dog. In slang, it can mean penis or a weak or foolish person.

Is wiener a rude word?

The food sense is not rude. The body-part and insult senses are informal, childish, or rude depending on context.

What is the difference between wiener and hot dog?

A wiener is the sausage. A hot dog can mean the sausage, especially when served in a bun.

Is wiener the same as Weiner?

No. Wiener is the normal spelling for the sausage and slang word. Weiner is often a surname.

Where does wiener come from?

It comes from German Wienerwurst, meaning Vienna sausage.

What is the plural of wiener?

The plural is wieners.

Comments & contributions

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Jolly Warbler
4 days ago
Oscar Mayer did permanent damage to my spelling of this word
0
Reply
Curious Stork
Jul 10
this word stopped being usable in a serious sentence for me around age 12
0
Reply
Free Starling
Jul 8
In German we dont make the same joke every time, Wiener is just a person or thing from Vienna. Context saves it
0
Reply
Chipper Terrapin
Jul 8
i can never spell this right first try. my hands type weiner and then my brain catches up
1
Reply
Contribution
Mellow Osprey
Jul 3
For the dog nickname, wiener dog feels very US to my ear. British people I know say sausage dog for a dachshund much more often
1
Reply
Contribution
Chipper Horse
Jul 1
wiener roast is a real North American phrase too. It sounds old-timey to me, but it means the campfire cookout kind where everyone roasts hot dogs on sticks
2
Reply
Goofy Eagle
Jul 1
canada still has this on church posters sometimes, often misspelled weiner roast
0
Contribution
Steady Loon
Jun 27
Rhode Island is a weird special case. A hot wiener or New York System wiener is its own local thing with meat sauce, mustard, onion and celery salt. Asking for ketchup is apparently how you announce you are not from there
3
Reply
Eager Moth
Jun 30
all the way is the order, three all the way if youre actually hungry
1
Contribution
Free Shrew
Jun 19
If you see Wiener Schnitzel on a menu, Wiener there is German for Viennese. The schnitzel is the cutlet, traditionally veal in Austria, so dont picture a sausage schnitzel lol
4
Reply
Warm Hamster
Jun 24
yeah my German teacher had to explain this because half the class started laughing at the menu word
1
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