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
In an attempt to get more attention during the pre-Christmas schedule, the league cooked up its first in-season tournament, modeled in part after European soccer competition.
—
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023
On Sundays, Avalon and Diebel cook up a big Italian spread for their family every weekend as a way to keep in touch and connect to their Italian roots.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
Many Americans, including people in rural, conservative communities, see the focus on climate change as another costly distraction cooked up by politicians in Washington —even as almost 40 percent of the Lower 48 states continue to be in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
But from these familiar ingredients, Marling and Batmanglij manage to cook up something a little more unexpected.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023
Use Carbone’s spicy vodka sauce with your pasta of choice, or cook up some Momofuku chili noodles for a quick lunch.
—Megan Wahn, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2023
Brady and Les are currently taking a break after the long months of touring and are in the early stages of cooking up new material, but could not resist the opportunity to open for Boygenius at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween night.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 31 Oct. 2023
Chet Sharma and the Bibi team also cooked up these delicious recipes.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2023
His approach and willingness to work with his staff to cook up playoff game plans, earned him really high marks inside the locker room last season.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
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Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2023
On Sundays, Avalon and Diebel cook up a big Italian spread for their family every weekend as a way to keep in touch and connect to their Italian roots.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
Many Americans, including people in rural, conservative communities, see the focus on climate change as another costly distraction cooked up by politicians in Washington —even as almost 40 percent of the Lower 48 states continue to be in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
—Laura Reiley, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
But from these familiar ingredients, Marling and Batmanglij manage to cook up something a little more unexpected.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023
Use Carbone’s spicy vodka sauce with your pasta of choice, or cook up some Momofuku chili noodles for a quick lunch.
—Megan Wahn, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2023
Brady and Les are currently taking a break after the long months of touring and are in the early stages of cooking up new material, but could not resist the opportunity to open for Boygenius at the Hollywood Bowl on Halloween night.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 31 Oct. 2023
Chet Sharma and the Bibi team also cooked up these delicious recipes.
—Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2023
His approach and willingness to work with his staff to cook up playoff game plans, earned him really high marks inside the locker room last season.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cook up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cook up
Cite this Entry
“Cook up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20up. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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