concoct
Americanverb (used with object)
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concocts,
present (3rd person singular)
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concocted,
past participle, past
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concocting
present participle
verb
-
to make by combining different ingredients
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to invent; make up; contrive
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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concoctsimple
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concoctssimple
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have concoctedperfect
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has concoctedperfect
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am concoctingprogressive
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are concoctingprogressive
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is concoctingprogressive
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have been concoctingperfect progressive
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has been concoctingperfect progressive
Past
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concoctedsimple
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had concoctedperfect
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was concoctingprogressive
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were concoctingprogressive
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had been concoctingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of concoct
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin concoctus (past participle of concoquere “to cook together”), equivalent to con- con- + coc-, variant stem of coquere “to boil, cook 1 ” from Greek péptein; see pepsin, peptic) + -tus past participle ending
Explanation
When you concoct something, you mix up different ingredients. If you want to become a mad scientist or a wizard, you'll have to learn how to concoct strange potions. If the word concoction makes you think of steaming caldrons or liquids bubbling in test tubes, you’ll be amused to know that it comes from a Latin word for “digestion.” Yum! On summer days, children sometimes concoct imaginative stews from grass, leaves and dirt. They may also concoct lies to explain why they tried feeding such concoctions to their little sister.
Vocabulary lists containing concoct
NAEP Test Words
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Excerpt from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
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And Then There Were None
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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.
See Examples For:
One way seems to be through the “distributed attentional focus” that music inspires, where we concoct images in time with the sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
But the sport’s actual heartland, where engineers concoct the most sophisticated machines in motor sports, could hardly be farther from superyachts and velvet ropes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
It’s almost possible to concoct a silver lining from this dreadful situation, but only by focusing on short-term electoral politics in the most bloodless and instrumental fashion.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
Rather, he’s using a shoestring budget to concoct left-of-center sights that feel like a peek into a specific Los Angeles netherworld.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
“You know, Sam,” Bando says as he sketches and watches me concoct a wild, savory lunch, “I think I’ll just open one of the cans of stew.”
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
With each manicured frame and deceptively poignant observation on the impossibility of living normally in modern life, Kramer concocts an original, wonderfully empathetic study of the desire to play spectator to a world on fire.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026
Safdie even concocts a subplot in which he invents his signature orange ball solely so he can wear all-white like the posh jocks of Wimbledon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Each weekday, your host, Ray Hamel, concocts a challenging set of unique questions on a specific topic.
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2023
Multicellular living matter concocts its own schemes, which means cells won't necessarily stay in the same place or state.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
Spike concocts what looks like a gourmet meal out of the regular offerings of the cafeteria.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
It said it was "concocted well after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the realities of the disguised funding scheme".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
No surprise, the panel agreed with him and concocted pretexts to kill the treatment—for instance, the staff opined that maybe biopsies had zapped the tumors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But John believes all of it to be an elaborate publicity stunt concocted by Arcane — or, at least, that’s what he tells himself.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Euphoria has always thrived on viral moments, but some viewers believe certain scenes in season three have been concocted specifically with memes and social media in mind - at the expense of character and plot.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
The creature sank back onto its haunches, poised to spring, and in that moment, Celaena came up with the most reckless and brave plan she’d ever concocted.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Baldoni denied wrongdoing and accused Lively of concocting false allegations as part of an effort to wrest creative control of the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
The BBC has seen the police tapes for the first time, showing Alex concocting a fake story about his mother and grandfather's whereabouts.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
“Making fake biography, false history, concocting a half-imaginary existence out of the actual drama of my life is my life,” he once said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
It’s a lot of pressure, concocting a flawless ending.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2024
The guards seemed to relish concocting variations of their denials.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
