cook the books
idiomatic phrase
informal
: to alter official accounting records in order to deceive or mislead
Congress cooked the books with phony spending cuts and accounting gimmickry to appear to reduce the federal deficit.—
Colleen O'Connor
Colleen O'ConnorExamples of cook the books in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the context of financial misconduct, if an executive has witnessed a parent being punished for embezzlement or cooking the books, the executive may be deterred from engaging in white-collar crimes to avoid experiencing a similar outcome.
—Joseph Brazel, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
If additional funding flows to jurisdictions with falling homelessness numbers, then stronger incentives exist to cook the books.
—Lawrence J McQuillan, Daily News, 15 Nov. 2025
After a brutal jobs report on August 1, Trump fired the leader of the agency that compiles the report and accused her, without evidence, of cooking the books.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
That means tightening oversight of IGTs, requiring transparency in how states use federal Medicaid dollars, and closing the loopholes that allow California to cook the books like this.
—Elizabeth Hicks, Oc Register, 12 May 2025
In a little callback to last season’s episode with perfectionist crooked accountant Ashton Hayes (Keegan-Michael Key), Kaya uncovers his work cooking the books for Pupetta’s Restaurant.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Macy’s is in crisis mode after disclosing that an employee cooked the books for years, using unethical accounting practices to hide well over $100 million in expenses.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024
That in turn would likely make Kenya’s leaders less inclined to engage in violent repression or feel the need to cook the books to hoard a massive campaign war chest to avoid a loss at the next election.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
Most crimes of this type involve defendants who cook the books to cover-up embezzlement or other financial crime; arguably far less serious to society than Trump’s conduct.
—Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 23 June 2024
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Joseph Brazel, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
If additional funding flows to jurisdictions with falling homelessness numbers, then stronger incentives exist to cook the books.
—Lawrence J McQuillan, Daily News, 15 Nov. 2025
After a brutal jobs report on August 1, Trump fired the leader of the agency that compiles the report and accused her, without evidence, of cooking the books.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025
That means tightening oversight of IGTs, requiring transparency in how states use federal Medicaid dollars, and closing the loopholes that allow California to cook the books like this.
—Elizabeth Hicks, Oc Register, 12 May 2025
In a little callback to last season’s episode with perfectionist crooked accountant Ashton Hayes (Keegan-Michael Key), Kaya uncovers his work cooking the books for Pupetta’s Restaurant.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
Macy’s is in crisis mode after disclosing that an employee cooked the books for years, using unethical accounting practices to hide well over $100 million in expenses.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2024
That in turn would likely make Kenya’s leaders less inclined to engage in violent repression or feel the need to cook the books to hoard a massive campaign war chest to avoid a loss at the next election.
—Michelle Gavin, Foreign Affairs, 23 July 2024
Most crimes of this type involve defendants who cook the books to cover-up embezzlement or other financial crime; arguably far less serious to society than Trump’s conduct.
—Ron Kuby, New York Daily News, 23 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cook the books.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20the%20books. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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