as in devises
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 cooks (up)
Verb
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Tiffany Bendayan, a chef and baker in Miami, devises different ways to make the table a space where her daughters—Emily and Sofia—feel comfortable sharing just about anything.—
Karen Cicero,
Parents,
21 Dec. 2025 -
Odysseus, the Ithacan warrior who is as celebrated for craftiness as Achilles is for brute strength, devises a clever ruse in which the Greeks place a giant wooden horse outside Troy’s walls and pretend to sail away.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The administration concocts a legal rationale for a foreign policy objective.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
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Executive pastry chef Jess Robertson, Ian’s wife, concocts desserts ranging from $4 oatmeal cream pies to $100 banana splits.—
Mary LeBus,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Carpenter constructs her own boyfriend out of Pringles potato chips in the quirky ad.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
4 Feb. 2026
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In the feminine symbolism of the flower and the Hello Kitty doll—and the myriad bracelets, hearts, and other items affixed to each canvas—Echard constructs her figure’s gender as a tangled, blurry, and tactile exchange between the body and its surroundings.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Man-su, wanting an accurate sense of his competition, invents a fake job opportunity and puts out a call for applicants.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2025
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That said, if Stacey can continue to show up as GNA invents new reasons to exist every season, the women could have shown up to the company break-room party that Stacey called a grand opening.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
8 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cooks (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cooks%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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