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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cook (up)

Verb

Over the following weeks, the group of roughly 15 people spoke almost daily to trace the vulnerabilities to their common source and devise a fix.

— Harry Booth, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
With her knack for devising novel solutions to seemingly insoluble problems, no one was better suited for the job.

— Dean Robbins, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of devise

Verb

The process was particularly intricate, as each interlacing detail on the bodice had to be carefully constructed by weaving hundreds of meters of rouleau and while maintaining the tension and precision of the corsetry underneath.

— Shelby Wax, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Knight said the First Baptist Church roots began in the mid-18th century, and the current building was constructed in 1846.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of construct

Verb

Yaga concocts one entertainingly heady brew, thanks to its beguiling mood and fearless cast.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
He was cleared of that, but then fell out with a friend who had helped concoct his alibi in the libel case, and was charged with perjury.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 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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“Cook (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cook%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cook (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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