concoct

verb

con·​coct kən-ˈkäkt 

kän-

concocted; concocting; concocts

transitive verb

1

: to prepare by combining raw materials

concoct a recipe

concocted a tropical fruit smoothie

2

: devise, fabricate

concoct an explanation

concocted a strategy to take control of the company

concocter noun

concoctive

kən-ˈkäk-tiv 

kän-

adjective

Synonyms of concoct

• devise
• invent
• construct

Examples of concoct in a Sentence

The drink was first concocted by a bartender in New York.

She concocted a stew from the leftovers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors say Brendan Banfield concocted an elaborate scheme to kill his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man, Joseph Ryan, in their family home in February 2023. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026

But for his first contribution to the network in 2026, The Beauty, he and co-creator Matthew Hodgson have concocted a genre-hopping oddity that sounds even less likely to work. —Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026

Both activities can be fairly ordinary hobbies—games of imagination not so different from crushing on a pop star or concocting stories about a film protagonist. —Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026

Joseph’s schemes and ability to concoct defensive chemistry are major reasons Denver (14-3) earned the AFC’s top seed, a first-round bye, and a date with the Bills in the divisional playoffs on Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin concoctus, past participle of concoquere to cook together, from com- + coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for concoct

• deadlocked
• landlocked
• padlocked
• unblocked
• unlocked
• balked
• blocked
• chalked
• clocked
• cocked
• docked
• flocked

Kids Definition

concoct

verb

con·​coct kən-ˈkäkt 

kän-

1

: to prepare by combining various ingredients

concoct a stew

2

: to think up : invent

concoct a likely story

concoction

-ˈkäk-shən 

noun