cook

¹ American  

[kook] / kʊk /

verb (used with object)

1. to prepare (food) by the use of heat, as by boiling, baking, or roasting.

2. to subject (anything) to the application of heat.

3. Slang. to ruin; spoil.

4. to process (computer programming code or other digital data) for use in an executable file format.

5. Slang. to falsify, as accounts.

   to cook the expense figures.

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verb (used without object)

1. to prepare food by the use of heat.

2. (of food) to undergo cooking.

3. Slang.

   1. to be full of activity and excitement.

      Las Vegas cooks around the clock.

   2. to perform, work, or do in just the right way and with energy and enthusiasm.

      That new drummer is really cooking tonight. Now you're cooking!

   3. to be in preparation; develop.

      Plans for the new factory have been cooking for several years.

   4. to take place; occur; happen.

      What's cooking at the club?

noun

1. a person who cooks.

   The restaurant hired a new cook.

verb phrase

1. cook up

   1. to concoct or contrive, often dishonestly.

      She hastily cooked up an excuse.

   2. to falsify.

      Someone had obviously cooked up the alibi.

2. cook off (of a shell or cartridge) to explode or fire without being triggered as a result of overheating in the chamber of the weapon.

idioms

1. cook one's goose. goose.

2. cook the books, to manipulate the financial records of a company, organization, etc., so as to conceal profits, avoid taxes, or present a false financial report to stockholders.

cook ² American  

[kook, kook] / kuk, kʊk /

verb (used without object)

Scot.

1. to hide, especially outdoors, as by crouching down behind a hedge.

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Cook ³ American  

[kook] / kʊk /

noun

1. Frederick Albert, 1865–1940, U.S. physician and polar explorer.

2. George Cram 1873–1924, U.S. novelist, dramatist, and poet.

3. Captain James, 1728–79, English navigator and explorer in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans, particularly in the areas of Australia and New Zealand.

4. Sir Joseph, 1860–1947, Australian statesman, born in England: prime minister of Australia 1913–14.

5. Also called Aoraki.  Also called Aorangi.  Mount Cook, a mountain in New Zealand, on South Island. 12,349 feet (3,764 meters).

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cook ¹ British  

/ kʊk /

verb

1. to prepare (food) by the action of heat, as by boiling, baking, etc, or (of food) to become ready for eating through such a process

2. to subject or be subjected to the action of intense heat

   the town cooked in the sun

3. slang (tr) to alter or falsify (something, esp figures, accounts, etc)

   to cook the books

4. slang (tr) to spoil or ruin (something)

5. slang (intr) to happen (esp in the phrase what's cooking? )

6. slang (tr) to prepare (any of several drugs) by heating

7. slang (intr) music to play vigorously

   the band was cooking

8. informal

   1. to spoil a person's plans

   2. to bring about someone's ruin, downfall, etc

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noun

1. a person who prepares food for eating, esp as an occupation

Cook ² British  

/ kʊk /

noun

1. Captain James . 1728–79, British navigator and explorer: claimed the E coast of Australia for Britain, circumnavigated New Zealand, and discovered several Pacific and Atlantic islands (1768–79)

2. Sir Joseph. 1860–1947, Australian statesman, born in England: prime minister of Australia (1913–14)

3. Peter ( Edward ). 1937–95, British comedy actor and writer, noted esp for his partnership (1960–73) with Dudley Moore

4. Robin, full name Robert Finlayson Cook . 1946–2005, British Labour politician; foreign secretary (1997–2001), Leader of the House (2001-2003)

5. Thomas. 1808–92, British travel agent; innovator of conducted excursions and founder of the travel agents Thomas Cook and Son

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Cook ³ British  

/ kʊk /

noun

1. Official name: Aoraki-Mount Cook.  a mountain in New Zealand, in the South Island, in the Southern Alps: the highest peak in New Zealand. Height: reduced in 1991 by a rockfall from 3764 m (12 349 ft) to 3754 m (12 316 ft)

2. a mountain in SE Alaska, in the St Elias Mountains. Height: 4194 m (13 760 ft)

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cook More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cook

• chief cook and bottlewasher
• short order (cook)
• too many cooks spoil the broth
• what's cooking

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Other Word Forms

• cookable adjective
• cooking noun
• cookless adjective
• uncookable adjective

Etymology

Origin of cook¹

First recorded before 1000; (noun) Middle English co(o)ke, Old English cōc (compare Old Norse kokkr, German Koch, Dutch kok ), from Latin cocus, coquus, derivative of coquere “to cook”; akin to Sanskrit pácati “(he) cooks, bakes, roasts,” Slavic ( Polish ) piec “to bake, roast,” Greek péssein, péptein “to boil, cook”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of cook²

First recorded in 1780–90; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

“Maybe we can collaborate with her with a song in the future, or just cook lumpia together.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Add bell peppers and cook until slightly tender but still vibrant, 3–4 minutes.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Granado-Gomez, a 25-year-old cook in Phoenix, checked “exempt” on the tax form that tells his employer whether to withhold money from his paycheck for federal income taxes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Others have taken to fishing over the side of their tankers, catching tuna, squid and largehead hairtail to cook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

“Hanging out with the cook guy or anyone else we work with? Voluntarily listening to bad music while swatting at black flies?”

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