cook up
phrasal verb
cooked up; cooking up; cooks up
1
: to prepare (food) for eating especially quickly
I can cook up some hamburgers.
He cooked this whole meal up in less than 30 minutes.
2
: to invent (something, such as an idea, excuse, etc.) to deal with a particular situation
They cooked up a scheme to fool their neighbor.
You'll have to cook an excuse up quickly.
Examples of cook up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What Jesse doesn’t know is that Abby hopes to use the performance he’s cooked up as a kind of grief intervention.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
The engine driving Season 1 is gone, and Season 2 doesn’t cook up another whodunit to fill the gap.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Feb. 2026
The tiny dining room also includes an open kitchen, so guests witness the chef cooking up a storm as their dishes are prepared right in front of them.
—John Brunton, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Showrunner Shawn Ryan is already cooking up plans for season 4.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cook up
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Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
The engine driving Season 1 is gone, and Season 2 doesn’t cook up another whodunit to fill the gap.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Feb. 2026
The tiny dining room also includes an open kitchen, so guests witness the chef cooking up a storm as their dishes are prepared right in front of them.
—John Brunton, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Showrunner Shawn Ryan is already cooking up plans for season 4.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cook up
Cite this Entry
“Cook up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20up. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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