cook

1 of 2

noun

1
: a person who prepares food for eating
2
: a technical or industrial process comparable to cooking food
also : a substance so processed

cook

2 of 2

verb

cooked; cooking; cooks

transitive verb

1
: to prepare (food) for eating by a heating process
Cook the vegetables over low heat for 10 minutes.
The fish was cooked in a wine sauce.
He cooked dinner for his guests.
2
: concoct, fabricate
usually used with up
cooked up a scheme
3
: to alter (something, such as records) with the intention of deceiving or misleading : falsify, doctor
The point is that every country's numbers are the result of a specific set of testing and accounting regimes. Everyone is cooking the data, one way or another.Alexis C. Madrigal
see also cook the books
4
: to subject (something) to the action of heat or fire during preparation
Agents discovered a recipe for cooking meth at his lab …Andrew E. Serwer

intransitive verb

1
: to prepare food for eating especially by means of heat
We're too busy to cook tonight.
I enjoy cooking for friends.
2
: to undergo the action of being cooked
The rice is cooking now.
3
: occur, happen
She tried to find out what was cooking in the committee.
4
: to perform, do, or proceed well
The jazz quartet was cooking along.
The party cooked right through the night.
cookable adjective
Phrases
cook one's goose
: to make one's failure or ruin certain

Examples of cook in a Sentence

Noun the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp Verb Cook the onions over low heat. She cooked a great meal. The fish was cooked in a white wine sauce. Carrots can be cooked, but they are often eaten raw. We're too busy to cook at home. He enjoys cooking on the weekends. The rice is still cooking, but it will be ready in 10 minutes. There's something cooking, but he won't say what.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The closure will affect 62 workers, including bartenders, bussers, servers, managers, cooks and expeditors, according to a WARN Act layoff notice. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 At lively Nishiki Market, a five-block-long shopping street with more than 100 restaurants and shops, everything that a Japanese cook could want can be found—seafood, produce, spices and rice varieties, as well as pots, tableware, knives and personalized chopsticks. Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That didn’t work for the couple, who are avid cooks and like to spend up to 50 hours a week cooking, baking, curing, and fermenting in the kitchen together. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 How to properly use salt is my go-to answer when people ask me what’s the most important thing for home cooks to learn in the kitchen. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024 Designed for an avid home cook, the kitchen has an adjacent large pantry for organized storage with room for a second full-size refrigerator. The Willows | A Covenant – Rodrock Homes Community, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 All-Clad is a classic option for both chefs and home cooks. Micki Wagner, Saveur, 21 Feb. 2024 Yet another example of how price promotes pull was when my brother, who’s a gourmet cook and enjoys sampling the creations of some of the most celebrated chefs in the world, flew to Napa Valley from New York just to dine at the renowned Michelin three-star restaurant called the French Laundry. Irv Erdos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2024 Once the generation that grew up on Food Network, cook books and traditional restaurant reviews steps aside, will every new recipe come from TikTok? Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024
Verb
Andrews went on to work at the former Los Angeles location of The Standard hotel and cooked as a private chef for celebrities and pro athletes on teams like the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Though the majority of her content is in English, Nara does speak both languages and has occasionally made some of her cooking TikToks in German, including a January 2024 video showcasing a recipe for German pancakes. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Peak millennials will also be filling up nursing homes with fewer young nurses to staff them, eating at restaurants with fewer servers and cooks to choose from, and in general taxing an economy with far fewer young people to support them. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Let cook, without turning, until golden underneath, 3-4 minutes or so. Rita Nader Heikenfeld, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024 Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours. Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Feb. 2024 Thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables, cooking all meat to a proper internal temperature, and keeping your refrigerator at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit can also add a layer of protection. Brian Mastroianni, Health, 29 Feb. 2024 Maine lobster was ground to a velvety texture, tucked into pasta and cooked to just the right amount of doneness, then covered in a tomato cream sauce dotted with roasted garlic cloves. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 My grandmothers are the ones who taught me how to cook. Noël Burgess, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus, from coquere to cook; akin to Old English āfigen fried, Greek pessein to cook

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cook was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cook

Cite this Entry

“Cook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cook

1 of 2 noun
: one who prepares food for eating

cook

2 of 2 verb
1
: to prepare food for eating especially by the use of heat
2
: to go through the process of being cooked
the rice is cooking now
3
a
: to think up
cook up a scheme
b
: to go on : happen
what's cooking
Etymology

Noun

Old English cōc "person who prepares food," from Latin coquus (same meaning), from coquere "to cook" — related to kitchen see Word History at kitchen

Biographical Definition

Cook

biographical name

James 1728–1779 English navigator and explorer

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