bake
Americanverb (used with object)
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bakes,
present (3rd person singular)
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baked,
past participle, past
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baking
present participle
-
to cook by dry heat in an oven or on heated metal or stones.
-
to harden by heat.
to bake pottery in a kiln.
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to dry by, or subject to heat.
The sun baked the land.
verb (used without object)
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bakes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
baked,
past participle, past
-
baking
present participle
-
to bake bread, a casserole, etc.
-
to become baked.
The cake will bake in about half an hour.
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to be subjected to heat.
The lizard baked on the hot rocks.
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to cook by dry heat in or as if in an oven
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(intr) to cook bread, pastry, etc, in an oven
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to make or become hardened by heat
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informal (intr) to be extremely hot, as in the heat of the sun
noun
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a party at which the main dish is baked
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a batch of things baked at one time
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a kind of biscuit
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a small flat fried cake
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overbakeverb
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prebakeverb
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outbakeverb (used with object)
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rebakeverb (used with object)
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underbakeverb (used with object)
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unbakedadjective
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well-bakedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bakesimple
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bakessimple
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have bakedperfect
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has bakedperfect
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am bakingprogressive
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are bakingprogressive
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is bakingprogressive
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have been bakingperfect progressive
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has been bakingperfect progressive
Past
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bakedsimple
-
had bakedperfect
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was bakingprogressive
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were bakingprogressive
-
had been bakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bake
First recorded before 1000; Middle English baken, Old English bacan; cognate with Old High German bahhan, Old Norse baka; akin to Dutch bakken, German backen, Greek phṓgein “to roast”; from Proto-Indo-European extended root bhēg-, bhōg- “to warm, roast”
Explanation
To bake something is to cook it in a hot oven. When you bake a batch of blueberry muffins, your whole house smells delicious. Whether you bake some cookies for dessert, a casserole to take to a potluck supper, or bake a clay pot in a kiln, you cook with a relatively slow, dry heat. You can also use the word bake figuratively: "Are you going to move into the shade, or are you just going to bake in the sun all day?" The Old English word was bacan, from a Germanic root.
Vocabulary lists containing bake
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Shannon, 29, is a project planner and scheduler from Gloucestershire, who was taught to bake by her beloved nan and describes her style as whimsical, quirky and rustic.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
She also keeps a small purse of coins throughout the year in case her children need some change for non-uniform days or bake sales.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Over a clam bake, Goldsmith brought up the subject of licensing Warp Drive’s technology to RevMed to target RAS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Bake: Pour into the pan and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until golden and a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
“I guess that’s true. So if the dough is ready, do we bake it now?”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
But part-time baker Supreedha Iyer says there is still some confusion among her friends when she presents them with her own sweetcorn-flavoured bakes.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
As Europe bakes under a second heatwave in as many months, Guterres delivered a speech in London that painted a stark picture of a planet that has just endured its 11 hottest years on record.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Analysts at KeyBanc suggested Monday that SpaceX’s stock price already bakes in sufficient optimism for the company’s ambitions.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
One groom insisted the invitations include a reference to the snickerdoodle cookies he bakes with his fiancée.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
“Those cookies are like one of the only things she knows how to make, so she bakes them all the time. I’m pretty sick of them.”
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
The code of silence baked into the Greek life brotherhood was broken after his dramatic arrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
A Turkish city cooked up largest-ever pot of baked beans, but no giant hot dog to go with it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
For that reason, the panel could not confirm the safety of a proposed expansion of sucralose use in certain baked goods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Soybean oil appears in salad dressings, mayonnaise, baked goods, infant formula, snacks and fried foods; soy lecithin emulsifies chocolate and bread; and soy protein fortifies energy bars, breakfast cereals and canned soup.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Mietje delivered the bread that Betsie baked for Nollie each morning, and the blue sweater Nollie asked for, her favorite, with flowers embroidered over the pocket.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
It also noted that similar uncertainties can arise during baking or frying at home, where temperatures, cooking times, and amounts vary.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Clara, 24, a marketing graduate from Hertfordshire, is originally from Portugal and only began baking two years ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
If you’re baking your stuffing, some combination of stock, egg, cream or buttermilk helps pull everything together.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Wendy Finerman unwinds by baking late at night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Vincent is our head pastry chef. He takes care of most of the baking, along with Rosa.”
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
