cook

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noun \ ˈku̇k \

Definition of cook

1 :a person who prepares food for eating

2 :a technical or industrial process comparable to cooking food; also :a substance so processed

See cook defined for English-language learners

See cook defined for kids

Examples of cook in a Sentence

the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp

Recent Examples of cook from the Web

Gunn, who once worked as a cook, waited for his steak to sizzle during a rare break from work as a mechanic.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "‘I was scared to get sober': He dealt heroin, now he's been clean six years," 24 Aug. 2017
It was inspired, its publicity team told me, by how cooks, professional and amateur alike, were deploying Cheetos in their cooking.

— matt gross, Bloomberg.com, "Cheetos-Inspired Restaurant Is a Hit Among Orange-Fingered Fans," 18 Aug. 2017
No-cook Red Sauce Tomatoes* Fresh herbs Olive oil drizzle Salt & pepper Lemon juice 3.

— jessica goodman, Cosmopolitan, "4 Tomato Hacks to Amp Up Your Summer Recipes," 30 July 2017
According to documents available on the United States Department of Labor website, Trump's properties have filed to receive 15 housekeepers, 26 cooks, and 35 servers.

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "Florida Mayoral Candidate Tells Black Activists to “Go Back to Africa.”," 21 July 2017
Question: Complete this sentence: The three most important things to being a great cook are…?

— david sharos, Naperville Sun, "Chef's Choice: Corporate chef skipped law school for kitchen, never looked back," 20 July 2017
Some cooks roll the butter into a log when completed (foils for this are available online), but Fisher prefers to transfer the butter to a small container for serving. •

— lee svitak dean, The Seattle Times, "Dress up mealtime with DIY-flavored butters," 19 July 2017
San Danielle Prosciutto and Parmesan Panna Making the sauce for this dish and the cook time of pasta are exactly the same, approximately 3 minutes.

— caron golden, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How to be a pasta pro," 17 July 2017
His Lafayette was a unstoppable force both on True Blood and in the wider world of television, a cook with a short temper and a quick sense of humor that provided the vampire drama’s few laughs.

— vanityfair.com, "Why Nelsan Ellis Made True Blood Worth Watching," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cook.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cook

Middle English, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus, from coquere to cook; akin to Old English āfigen fried, Greek pessein to cook

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

cook Synonyms

Synonyms

chef, cooker, culinarian

Related Words

baker, pâtissier (or patissier); barbecuer, griller

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

cook

verb

Definition of cook

intransitive verb

1 :to prepare food for eating especially by means of heat

French cooking

2 :to undergo the action of being cooked

the rice is cooking now

3 :occur, happen

find out what was cooking in the committee

4 :to perform, do, or proceed well

the jazz quartet was cooking along

the party cooked right through the night

transitive verb

1 :concoct, fabricate —usually used with up

cooked up a scheme

2 :to prepare for eating by a heating process

3 :falsify, doctor

cooked the books with phony spending cuts and accounting gimmickry
—Colleen O'Connor

4 :to subject to the action of heat or fire

—

cookable

play \ˈku̇-kə-bəl\ adjective

— cook one's goose

:to make one's failure or ruin certain

See cook defined for English-language learners

Examples of cook in a Sentence

Cook the onions over low heat.
She cooked a great meal.
The fish was cooked in a white wine sauce.
Carrots can be cooked, but they are often eaten raw.
We're too busy to cook at home.
He enjoys cooking on the weekends.
The rice is still cooking, but it will be ready in 10 minutes.
There's something cooking, but he won't say what.

Recent Examples of cook from the Web

There's nothing that new in the script but what Bell has cooked up would be a sufficient serving of cinema if the debate was the only ingredient.

— rick bentley, chicagotribune.com, "'I Do ... Until I Don't' review: Lake Bell helms a sweet romance," 30 Aug. 2017
Also free: personal training sessions, protein shakes, Roasterie lattes and meals cooked by the company chef.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Ten KC companies that spoil employees with unbelievable perks," 30 Aug. 2017
The 10 U.S. semifinalists — who hail from Chicago, Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas, New York and other cities — were selected from more than 2,000 applicants by a panel of trainers from Italy’s ALMA cooking school.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Marine Room line cook a 'Young Chef' semifinalist," 29 Aug. 2017
Project Tango was cooked up by Google's ATAP group, a small skunkworks group that doesn't have a ton of resources.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "Google’s ARCore brings augmented reality to millions of Android devices," 29 Aug. 2017
To my surprise, not only had Burrell never cooked a popup before—

— matt gross, Bloomberg.com, "Cheetos-Inspired Restaurant Is a Hit Among Orange-Fingered Fans," 18 Aug. 2017
Whisk in flour and cook over low heat until flour is golden brown.

— Cincinnati.com, "Taste old fashioned, word-of-mouth cube steak," 16 Aug. 2017
Cook the milk mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering.

— Popular Mechanics, "How to Make Ice Cream," 4 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, the appetite for counter dining continues: Kiln, on Soho’s Brewer Street, has smoky Thai dishes cooked on an open flame or over charcoal in ceramic tao pots, paired with standout French and German natural wines.

— christine ajudua, CNT, "What to Do on a Quick Trip to London," 4 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of cook

14th century

cook Synonyms

Cook

play

biographical name \ ˈku̇k \

Definition of Cook

James 1728–1779 English navigator and explorer

COOK Defined for English Language Learners

cook

play

noun

Definition of cook for English Language Learners

: someone who prepares and cooks food for eating at home, in a restaurant, etc.

cook

verb

Definition of cook for English Language Learners

: to prepare (food) for eating especially by using heat
: to go through the process of being cooked
: to happen or take place

COOK Defined for Kids

cook

play

noun \ ˈku̇k \

Definition of cook for Students

:a person who prepares food for eating

cook

verb

Definition of cook for Students

cooked; cooking

1 :to prepare food for eating by the use of heat

2 :to go through the process of being heated in preparation for being eaten

Dinner is cooking.

3 :to create through thought and imagination —usually used with up

The boys are cooking up a scheme to earn money.

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See words that rhyme with cook Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cook Spanish Central: Translation of cook Nglish: Translation of cook for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cook for Arabic speakers

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cook

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cookable

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