cook

noun

\ ˈku̇k

Definition of cook

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a person who prepares food for eating

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

cook

verb

cooked; cooking; cooks

Definition of cook (Entry 2 of 3)

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

cook one's goose

: to make one's failure or ruin certain

Cook

biographical name

\ ˈku̇k

Definition of Cook (Entry 3 of 3)

James 1728–1779 English navigator and explorer

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Examples of cook in a Sentence

Noun

the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp

Verb

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 on the Web: Noun

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth, or so the old adage goes. — Ian Malone, Vogue, "Daniel Bouloud Hosts a Decadent Dinner in Support of Citymeals on Wheels," 12 Mar. 2019 Return to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Coconut Cream Éclairs," 7 Mar. 2019 Place bowl over saucepan and cook, whisking on low speed with a hand mixer, until mixture registers 160°F on a candy thermometer, 8 to 9 minutes. — Anna Helm Baxter, Country Living, "7-Minute Frosting," 11 Dec. 2018 Many cooks tell you to use your left hand for dry work (flour and breadcrumbs) and the right hand for the wet work (retrieving item from egg wash). — Francine Maroukian, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Deep Fryers—and How to Fry Anything," 14 Nov. 2018 While some teachers are moonlighting as Instagram influencers, others are now baristas, Amazon warehouse employees, movie-theater managers and fast-food grill cooks. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: Why Twitter finally banned Alex Jones and Infowars," 7 Sep. 2018 This year’s postings show Trump’s club wants to hire one more foreign cook than last year. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida petitions to hire 40 foreign workers," 6 July 2018 Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, whisking constantly and scraping down sides of bowl as needed with a spatula, until eggs thicken and firm up like a custard, with tiny curds throughout, about 15 minutes. — Kitty Greenwald, WSJ, "The Way You’ll Be Making Scrambled Eggs From Now On," 11 Jan. 2019 Add the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and 1½ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Chrissy Teigen Is Cooking Some of Her Favorite Recipes on Instagram," 18 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

When cooking chicken, patience is key every step of the way. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "How to Cook Perfectly Crispy Chicken Thighs Every Time," 25 Feb. 2019 Though born out of necessity, Marty's interest in cooking soon became a treasured hobby. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Late Husband, Marty, Helped Her Reach Her Potential," 23 Feb. 2019 Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. — Woman's Day, "Roasted Citrus Chicken Salad," 15 Feb. 2019 Kim later showed off her gift for Kanye, which included cooking him dinner in her crazy big, industrial kitchen. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Here's How All of Your Favorite Celeb Couples Celebrated Valentine's Day," 15 Feb. 2019 It is said to taste like green beans and can be sautéed or cooked as for summer squash. — Robin Tribble, Popular Mechanics, "How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin," 24 Jan. 2019 Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ pound broccoli rabe (about half of a medium bunch), thick ends trimmed, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. — Adam Ried, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipes: Switch it up with lamb burgers instead of beef," 13 July 2018 Elaine's career started in the insurance industry, but her love for cooking led her to working in the Stafford Schools Cafeterias and for local restaurants as a cook and baker. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Elaine M. Kratochvil," 13 July 2018 Over Easy is a weekly food column by a 20-something woman who can barely cook an egg and just wants to learn how to throw together an elegant three-course meal for her friends. — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, "Are Homemade Doughnuts Worth the Effort and Fire Hazard?," 13 July 2018

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.