bake

verb

ˈbāk 

baked; baking; bakes

transitive verb

1

: to cook by dry heat especially in an oven

bake a cake

bake bread

baked potatoes

baking [=roasting] a chicken

2

: to dry or harden by subjecting to heat

intransitive verb

1

: to prepare food by baking it

a cook who enjoys baking

2

: to become baked

a loaf of bread baking in the oven

3

: to be or become extremely hot

sidewalks baking in the sun

Examples of bake in a Sentence

She wrapped the fish in foil and baked it for 15 minutes.

How long has the cake been baking?

They baked the bricks in the sun.

The streets were baking in the afternoon heat.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yeah, there is some inevitability about the sharing of the heart of what has been going on that feels like it’s just baked into the DNA of the music. —Chris Willman, Variety, 4 June 2026

On their last night together, the three watched Sophie’s little brother’s lacrosse game together and went to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt together and baked an apple pie together at Ananya’s house. —Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 4 June 2026

More than 5,300 years after his death in the Alps, a famous frozen mummy is still helping scientists make new discoveries − and even bake fresh bread. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 June 2026

This is part of seasoning the pan, which is essentially a layer of oil that is baked into the cast iron (the technical process for this is called polymerization). —Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English bacan; akin to Old High German bahhan to bake, Greek phōgein to roast

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing bake

• bake sale
• pre-bake
• wake-and-bake

Rhymes for bake

• ache
• ake
• brake
• break
• cake
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake
• lake

Kids Definition

bake

1 of 2 verb

ˈbāk 

baked; baking

1

: to cook or become cooked by dry heat especially in an oven

2

: to dry or harden by heat

bake bricks

3

: to be or become very hot

a sidewalk baking in the sun

baker noun

bake

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or process of baking

2

: a social gathering at which a baked food is served

especially : clambake