concoct

American

[kon-kokt, kuhn-] / kɒnˈkɒkt, kən- /

verb (used with object)

to prepare or make by combining ingredients, especially in cooking.

We concocted a meal from leftovers since no one had time to stop at the store.
to devise; make up; contrive.

He'll have to concoct an excuse for his absence if he wants to keep the job.

Synonyms:

hatch, fabricate, invent

concoct British

/ kənˈkɒkt /

verb

to make by combining different ingredients
to invent; make up; contrive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

concocter noun
concoctive adjective
concoctor noun
well-concocted adjective

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; pepsin, peptic ) + -tus past participle ending

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.

Now running at Catch One, “Brassroots District” aims to concoct a fantasy vision of 1974, but creators Ari Herstand and Andrew Leib aren’t after pure nostalgia.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Kristin Hanggi directs the production, which stars Laura Bell Bundy and Kara Lindsay as friends who concoct impressive résumés to wow former classmates at their high-school reunion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

In fact, he so frequently challenges the producers to concoct new plans on the fly that they're drawn into an actual competition they cannot lose with the man they're trying to fool.

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2025

The man is not a natural broadcaster, and he is not able to concoct the synapse-flaring secret sauce that makes everyone from Rachel Maddow to Jesse Watters so watchable.

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2025

Every weekend, while she waited for her mom to come home, she would concoct a story: her mother was a spy, an ousted princess, a sorceress.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023