bake

1 of 2

verb

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
The concrete and asphalt in America's largest city further concentrate the misery in a heat island that adds 2.3 degrees more to local temperatures than the one that bakes Phoenix. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 23 Sep. 2024 Delicious aromas of cinnamon and baking apples will soon engulf your kitchen. Patricia S York, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2024
Noun
Bake from frozen as directed in recipe, adding a few extra minutes to your bake time as needed. Molly Bolton, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2024 Meanwhile, Leith pays attention to the technicality of the bakes and Hollywood takes no nonsense, per usual. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bake 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bake.' 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

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near bake

Cite this Entry

“Bake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bake. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bake

1 of 2 verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on bake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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