recipe

noun

rec·​i·​pe ˈre-sə-(ˌ)pē How to pronounce recipe (audio)
1
2
: a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients
3
: a formula or procedure for doing or attaining something
a recipe for success

Examples of recipe in a Sentence

The recipe calls for fresh thyme. I didn't read the recipe carefully. This is one of my grandmother's recipes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while cabbage plays the lead role in this recipe, there is sausage and bacon, which gives it just a touch of heartiness to satisfy. Nellah Bailey McGough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025 Say hello to your new go-to holiday recipe. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025 The large brick building that once housed Dubuque Star Brewing, opened by the Rhomberg family in 1899, has endured 40-plus years since the brewery’s closure and still carries the company’s banner, now housing local businesses, a beer museum and a restaurant that pours two original recipes. Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 One day, his dad, Brian (Palin), shares an old recipe involving rainwater, horse manure and alchemy to create Homunculi – magical prophesying spirits that can predict the future. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for recipe

Word History

Etymology

Latin, take, imperative of recipere to take, receive — more at receive

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recipe was in 1533

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recipe. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

recipe

noun
rec·​i·​pe ˈres-ə-(ˌ)pē How to pronounce recipe (audio)
1
2
: a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) from various things
a recipe for beef stew
3
: method of proceeding
a recipe for success

Medical Definition

recipe

noun
rec·​i·​pe ˈres-ə-(ˌ)pē How to pronounce recipe (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on recipe

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