- present participle of bake.
baking
Americannoun
-
the activity or practice of cooking food using dry heat, especially in an oven.
Baking can give cuts of poultry a crispy, browned exterior.
-
food cooked using dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..
Nothing puts me into the Christmas spirit like the smells of holiday baking.
adjective
-
extremely hot.
It was unseasonably cold last week, but this week it's absolutely baking.
-
used in preparing food cooked with dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..
I can't make cookies without a baking tray.
-
suited for use in pies, pastry, etc..
Proper baking apples are needed for a good apple crumble.
noun
-
-
the process of cooking bread, cakes, etc
-
( as modifier )
a baking dish
-
-
the bread, cakes, etc, cooked at one time
adjective
Etymology
Origin of baking
First recorded in 1300–50; 1650–60 baking for def. 3; Middle English; bake ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; bake ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses
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.
His apartment is baking and it is "impossible to live with all the mosquitoes."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
With parts of the globe aflame in wildfires, deadly heat waves parking over cities, record hot oceans and a strengthening super El Niño, it seems like we’re baking through the hottest year on record.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
These can be a "big knock" to her confidence, particularly when working with clients - she runs a business community called Baking Bosses which helps people build baking businesses from home.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Arrange your dates on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, until the brie has beautifully melted into its pocket.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
It’s conceivable that Twitch will want to do some baking in the morning, but she might not.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
