cooking

[ koo k-ing ]

/ ˈkʊk ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cooking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that cooks.

the art or practice of preparing food; cookery.

adjective

used in preparing foods: a cooking utensil.

fit to eat when cooked (distinguished from eating): cooking apples.

Nearby words

cooch behar, coochie, cooee, cooey, coof, cooking, cook inlet, cook island māori, cook islands, cook shop, cook someone's goose

Origin of cooking

First recorded in 1635–45; cook¹ + -ing¹, -ing²

Related formsself-cook·ing, adjective

Definition for cooking (2 of 3)

cook

[ koo k ]

/ kʊk /

verb (used with object)

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

to subject (anything) to the application of heat.

Slang. to ruin; spoil.

Informal. to falsify, as accounts: to cook the expense figures.

verb (used without object)

to prepare food by the use of heat.

(of food) to undergo cooking.

Slang.

to be full of activity and excitement: Las Vegas cooks around the clock.
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!
to be in preparation; develop: Plans for the new factory have been cooking for several years.
to take place; occur; happen: What's cooking at the club?

noun

a person who cooks: The restaurant hired a new cook.

Verb Phrases

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.

cook up, Informal.

to concoct or contrive, often dishonestly: She hastily cooked up an excuse.
to falsify: Someone had obviously cooked up the alibi.

Origin of cook

before 1000; (noun) Middle English cok(e), Old English cōc (compare Old Norse kokkr, German Koch, Dutch kok) < Latin cocus, coquus, derivative of coquere to cook; akin to Greek péptein (see peptic); (v.) late Middle English coken, derivative of the noun

Related formscook·a·ble, adjectivecook·less, adjectiveun·cook·a·ble, adjective

Definition for cooking (3 of 3)

cook

[ kook, koo k ]

/ kuk, kʊk /

verb (used without object) Scot.

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

Origin of cook

1780–90; perhaps blend of Middle English couche bend, stoop (see couch) and Middle English croke bend, stoop (see crooked)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cooking

Drain immediately and immerse the beans in ice water to stop the cooking.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There, she and other mothers can take ministry-sponsored courses, including on cooking and avoiding marital conflict.
Allah, Mom, and Baklava: Turkish President Uses Mothers and Kids as Political Pawns|Xanthe Ackerman|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cooking and taking care of the rooms – this is an industry that is reserved for women.
Cameroonian Women Fighting Sexism With Tourism|Abena Agyeman-Fisher|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hosts are vetted carefully, both for their cooking and entertaining skills.
The Airbnb of Home-Cooked Meals|Itay Hod|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Cooking up scientific explanations of the plagues has been a pastime for years.
Liberian Pastors Blame Ebola on Gays, The Right Blames Obama|Jay Michaelson|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A very few were reading or writing letters, the rest busy with their cooking or talking to one another.
Impressions of South Africa|James Bryce
"Seems good to taste somebody's cooking besides your own," he apologized.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman|Albert Walter Tolman
On that day he was responsible for the dinner,—the cooking, catering, buying and serving.
Days of the Discoverers|L. Lamprey
My mother had to do all the cooking on a flat stone on the floor with another standing up behind it.
Old Rail Fence Corners|Various
He was too young to do much but he had helped with the cooking.
The Stronghold|Miriam Haynie

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (1 of 3)

cook

/ (kʊk) /

verb

to prepare (food) by the action of heat, as by boiling, baking, etc, or (of food) to become ready for eating through such a processRelated adjective: culinary

to subject or be subjected to the action of intense heatthe town cooked in the sun

(tr) slang to alter or falsify (something, esp figures, accounts, etc)to cook the books

(tr) slang to spoil or ruin (something)

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

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

(intr) music slang to play vigorouslythe band was cooking

cook someone's goose informal

to spoil a person's plans
to bring about someone's ruin, downfall, etc

noun

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

Word Origin for cook

Old English cōc (n), from Latin coquus a cook, from coquere to cook

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (2 of 3)

Cook

/ (kʊk) /

noun 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)Official name: Aoraki-Mount Cook

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

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (3 of 3)

Cook

/ (kʊk) /

noun

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)

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

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

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

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

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

Word Origin and History for cooking (1 of 2)

cook

Old English coc, from Vulgar Latin cocus "cook," from Latin coquus, from coquere "to cook, prepare food, ripen, digest, turn over in the mind" from PIE root *pekw- "to cook" (cf. Oscan popina "kitchen," Sanskrit pakvah "cooked," Greek peptein, Lithuanian kepti "to bake, roast," Old Church Slavonic pecenu "roasted," Welsh poeth "cooked, baked, hot"). Germanic languages had no one native term for all types of cooking, and borrowed the Latin word (Old Saxon kok, Old High German choh, German Koch, Swedish kock).

There is the proverb, the more cooks the worse potage. [Gascoigne, 1575]

Word Origin and History for cooking (1 of 2)

cook

late 14c., from cook (n.); the figurative sense of "to manipulate, falsify, doctor" is from 1630s. Related: Cooked, cooking. To cook with gas is 1930s jive talk.

Idioms and Phrases with cooking

cook

In addition to the idioms beginning with cook

cook someone's goose
cook the books
cook up
cook with gas

also see:

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

cooking

noun

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of cooking

Definition for cooking (2 of 3)

cook

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of cook

Definition for cooking (3 of 3)

cook

verb (used without object) Scot.

Origin of cook

Examples from the Web for cooking

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (1 of 3)

cook

verb

noun

Word Origin for cook

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (2 of 3)

Cook

noun Mount Cook

British Dictionary definitions for cooking (3 of 3)

Cook

noun

Word Origin and History for cooking (1 of 2)

cook

Word Origin and History for cooking (1 of 2)

cook

Idioms and Phrases with cooking

cook