COOK UP Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

cook (up)

verb

Definition of cook (up)

as in to devise

to create or think of by clever use of the imagination cooked up a scheme to get out of doing the dishes

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cook (up)

Verb

After two months, the parties could reassess Hamas’s behavior and devise a more durable mechanism for delivering aid.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
Determined to win her back, Ralph devises a crazy plan involving kidnapping the former child star of his favorite Christmas movie.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of devise

Verb

Dyrholm will star as a woman who is unable to acknowledge and access her own feelings and constructs intimacy by stealing objects from people instead of getting close to them.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Sheerazie, lead gardener at Pasadena’s Arlington Garden, has studied permaculture and designed and constructed a number of swales at the garden and elsewhere.

— Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of construct

Verb

The experimental portion of the brewery allowed guests to concoct their own brews, and more than 700 beers were created over the years, according to the brewery's Facebook post.

— Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
The White Sox concocted a creative playing style that blended elements of old-school small ball with home-run power.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of concoct

Verb

Neil and Brenda met just days after Neil invented his time machine, which proved to be a handy access pass.

— S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Claude invented that reference while presenting itself as someone who might have witnessed something relevant to the investigation.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of invent

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.

Browse Nearby Words

cooks (up)

cook (up)

cool

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Style

“Cook (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cook%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cook (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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