1
: a person who prepares food for eating
2
: a technical or industrial process comparable to cooking food
also
: a substance so processed
cooked; cooking; cooks
1
: to prepare (food) for eating by a heating process
Cook the vegetables over low heat for 10 minutes.
The fish was cooked in a wine sauce.
He cooked dinner for his guests.
3
: to alter (something, such as records) with the intention of deceiving or misleading : falsify, doctor
The point is that every country's numbers are the result of a specific set of testing and accounting regimes. Everyone is cooking the data, one way or another.—
Alexis C. Madrigal
see also cook the books
Alexis C. Madrigal4
: to subject (something) to the action of heat or fire during preparation
Agents discovered a recipe for cooking meth at his lab …—Andrew E. Serwer
Andrew E. Serwer1
: to prepare food for eating especially by means of heat
We're too busy to cook tonight.
I enjoy cooking for friends.
2
: to undergo the action of being cooked
The rice is cooking now.
4
: to perform, do, or proceed well
The jazz quartet was cooking along.
The party cooked right through the night.
Examples of cook in a Sentence
Noun
the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp
Verb
Cook the onions over low heat.
She cooked a great meal.
The fish was cooked in a white wine sauce.
Carrots can be cooked, but they are often eaten raw.
We're too busy to cook at home.
He enjoys cooking on the weekends.
The rice is still cooking, but it will be ready in 10 minutes.
There's something cooking, but he won't say what.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Every restaurant has had an off night, short staff or new cook joining the line.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
Also try the herbed cavatelli in lamb ragout − one of my favorite pasta dishes in town − or the duck confit served on a bed of creamy cassoulet beans cooked low and slow in a stock of ham scraps and leeks.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook
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.
Noun
Raw animal foods not separated by type based on minimum cook temperatures (raw chicken stored above raw eggs in walk-in cooler).
—Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
Every restaurant has had an off night, short staff or new cook joining the line.
—Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
For those who want to maximize these superfood compounds, Marcus recommends cooking all three ingredients frequently as part of a Mediterranean-style diet.
—Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
Also try the herbed cavatelli in lamb ragout − one of my favorite pasta dishes in town − or the duck confit served on a bed of creamy cassoulet beans cooked low and slow in a stock of ham scraps and leeks.
—Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook
Cite this Entry
“Cook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cook
1 of 2 noun
: one who prepares food for eating
cook
2 of 2 verb1
: to prepare food for eating especially by the use of heat
2
: to go through the process of being cooked
the rice is cooking now
3
a
: to think up
cook up a scheme
b
: to go on : happen
what's cooking
Biographical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share