baking

American  

[bey-king] / ˈbeɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. the activity or practice of cooking food using dry heat, especially in an oven.

   Baking can give cuts of poultry a crispy, browned exterior.

2. food cooked using dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..

   Nothing puts me into the Christmas spirit like the smells of holiday baking.

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adjective

1. extremely hot.

   It was unseasonably cold last week, but this week it's absolutely baking.

2. used in preparing food cooked with dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..

   I can't make cookies without a baking tray.

3. suited for use in pies, pastry, etc..

   Proper baking apples are needed for a good apple crumble.

baking British  

/ ˈbeɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the process of cooking bread, cakes, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a baking dish

2. the bread, cakes, etc, cooked at one time

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adjective

1. (esp of weather) very hot and dry

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

"I love baking. I love making things for people. It was a good way of sharing my baking with the community."

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

I like to start with a frozen cheese pizza and spoon dollops of each sauce over the pie before baking.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

To explore those questions, scientists examined whether diabetes risk differed between French fries and potatoes prepared by boiling, baking, or mashing.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

With gas in short supply, baking and cooking at home becomes an issue as well, Abu Ahmed Wafi, a 42-year-old displaced with his family in south Gaza, told AFP.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

Nollie came out of the kitchen, her round pretty face flushed with baking.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• blistering
• boiling
• red-hot
• scorching
• searing
• sizzling
• sweltering