plural recipes
1
: a set of instructions for making food
The recipe calls for fresh thyme.
I didn't read the recipe carefully.
This is one of my grandmother's recipes.
a recipe book [=cookbook]
—often + fora recipe for beef stew
2
: a way of doing something that will produce a particular result
—+ for
He says he has an infallible recipe for success.
"She's planning to do the plumbing herself." "That's a recipe for disaster." [=that will result in disaster]
Cite this Entry
“Recipe.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/recipe. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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