cooking

American  

[kook-ing] / ˈkʊk ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that cooks.

2. the art or practice of preparing food; cookery.

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adjective

1. used in preparing foods.

   All of my cooking utensils are packed, so I had to order pizza.

2. suited for use in cooked food.

   The Golden Delicious is our favorite cooking apple, especially for applesauce.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-cooking
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cooking

First recorded in 1635–45; cook ¹ + -ing ¹ for the noun senses; cook ¹ + -ing ² for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

"In the mornings, the fan is switched off during cooking and the heat becomes unbearable. My sister finds it hard to do her chores. My mother looks more tired than ever."

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

With two Twin Cities locations and classes covering everything from Indian cooking and sushi to sourdough and knife skills, Cooks of Crocus Hill offers plenty of options.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

For the games, the Cape Verdean owner, Sara Lopes, will be hosting watch parties and cooking up specialties like duck linguiça, a smoked sausage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

"Folding clothes, coffee making... cooking a very specific thing, sandwich making," Objectways head Ravi Shankar said, listing videos requested by clients.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

We hadn't much to move—the pot-bellied stove, cooking pans, dishes, knives and forks, a barrel of smoked salmon, a barrel of seal meat, and the six caribou skins we slept on.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Related Words

• cookery
• cuisine
• culinary art
• culinary science