cook-off

1 of 2

noun

: a cooking competition

cook off

2 of 2

verb

cooked off; cooking off; cooks off

intransitive verb

of a cartridge
: to fire as a result of overheating

Examples of cook-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Just like the year-round version, chefs fight in a bracket-style competition and are thrown curveballs by the randomizer, a lottery-style machine used on TOC that determines the protein, produce, equipment, cooking style and time set for each cook-off. Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 The festival also has live music, a vendor market, beer garden, a chili cook-off with local restaurants and a kids costume parade. Lulu Jaeckel, Twin Cities, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
Note how the heating happens before the bacteria is added, so the probiotics don’t get cooked off. Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 1 Oct. 2025 Cook, picking up any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven using a wooden spoon, until mixture sputters, releases its water, and then cooks off and sizzles and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. John T. Edge, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cook-off

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cook-off was in 1936

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Cook-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook-off. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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