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

Boiling before baking is a labor-intensive, but laudable, nod to old-school methodology.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

But for Natalie, who has been baking cakes on the weekend, the cost of a licence means it is no longer worth opening.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Carefully is a generous term here—the process is more like arranging a raw chicken on a baking pan for maximum flatness.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Legend has it that monks baking pretzels in a basement bakery heard noises below them and alerted the rest of the city of an impending invasion.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

“It’s baking soda, not salt, when there’s oil involved in a fire.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

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