cooking

1 of 3

present participle of cook entry 2

cooking

2 of 3

noun

cook·​ing ˈku̇-kiŋ 

1

a

: the act of preparing food for eating especially by heating : the act of cooking food

I do most of the cooking for our family.

b

: a manner of preparing food : cuisine

a technique used in French cooking

2

: food that is cooked

Do you like my cooking?

see also home cooking

cooking

3 of 3

adjective

: suitable or used for cooking

bought some cooking apples

cooking techniques

Cooking time is about 30 minutes.

Examples of cooking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Breakfast is a lavish spread of various live cooking stations with Chinese and Western options. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 May 2026

The cooking is no-nonsense, from tortang talong, whole eggplant sealed in an omelet beneath a merry wreckage of pork, to lush tinola, chicken soup streaked with ginger. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Adjective

During this streak, the Heat have been great on both ends of the floor, but their offense is truly cooking. —Zach Harper, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026

Inspired by traditional beef stroganoff, this streamlined version swaps in quick-cooking, thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a faster, lighter weeknight dinner that still tastes rich and deeply satisfying. —Hana Asbrink, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1791, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cooking

• be cooking
• cooking spray
• home cooking
• Now you're cooking

Rhymes for cooking

• booking
• brooking
• hooking
• looking
• overlooking