baking
Americannoun
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the activity or practice of cooking food using dry heat, especially in an oven.
Baking can give cuts of poultry a crispy, browned exterior.
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food cooked using dry heat, especially bread, pastry, cakes, etc..
Nothing puts me into the Christmas spirit like the smells of holiday baking.
adjective
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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.
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suited for use in pies, pastry, etc..
Proper baking apples are needed for a good apple crumble.
noun
-
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the process of cooking bread, cakes, etc
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( as modifier )
a baking dish
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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.
Sprinkle some dried herbs and garlic onto your pizza 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
Alone for the first time in 30 years, she began using credit cards on items to help her cope, such as cooking equipment for a baking hobby and new jeans after she lost weight.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
After trying to move the device from "the baking hot sun", he concluded the heavy device "might be quite dangerous" and rang the police.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Sarah snatched a small box of baking soda and poured it over the small flame until it went out.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
