bake

1 of 2

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

bake

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act or process of baking

2

: a social gathering at which a baked food is served

Examples of bake in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

Extreme heat has baked almost all of the Lower 48 so far this summer, but the worst of it has concentrated in the East Coast states and West. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 17 July 2024

Thunderstorms from Southern California’s monsoon season brought a temporary cooling reprieve over the weekend to a region that had been baking under a triple-digit heat wave but also sparked new wildfires. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024

Noun

Plus, the slaw can be tossed together while the fish bakes. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 13 July 2024

Choose your plan → MOST READ Climate 1 As extreme heat bakes the West, emergency helicopters struggle to fly 2 Advice|Fighting over how to load the dishwasher and save gas? —Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 9 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing bake

• bake sale
• pre-bake
• wake and bake

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