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
Their chemistry is amiss; a more palpable spark could have helped sell the bland and basic developments cooked up by Hoover, Boone and screenwriter Susan McMartin.
—
Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The Solution Entertainment Group handles international sales excluding Spain and will continue to cook up deals with buyers ahead of the upcoming American Film Market.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
The celebrated author cooks up a new romance in her latest book, A Brewed Awakening, out next year from Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
These are beautifully tender and delicately sweet when cooked up.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook up
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Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
The Solution Entertainment Group handles international sales excluding Spain and will continue to cook up deals with buyers ahead of the upcoming American Film Market.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
The celebrated author cooks up a new romance in her latest book, A Brewed Awakening, out next year from Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
These are beautifully tender and delicately sweet when cooked up.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
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 24 Oct. 2025.
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