cooking

American  

[kook-ing] / ˈkʊk ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that cooks.

2. the art or practice of preparing food; cookery.

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adjective

1. used in preparing foods.

   All of my cooking utensils are packed, so I had to order pizza.

2. suited for use in cooked food.

   The Golden Delicious is our favorite cooking apple, especially for applesauce.

Other Word Forms

• self-cooking
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cooking

First recorded in 1635–45; cook ¹ + -ing ¹ for the noun senses; cook ¹ + -ing ² for the adjective senses

Example Sentences

Higher crude prices raise the cost of diesel, gasoline, cooking fuel, transport and food, while governments have limited fiscal room to cushion the blow.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Instead, they argue for targeted relief - wartime-style subsidies for poorer households, especially for cooking gas - while allowing prices to rise for everyone else.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

When cooking with oils or fats, people should avoid very high temperatures and use a ventilation fan when possible.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

We have different names for it depending on the culture and era: Italy’s cucina povera, Depression-era “waste not, want not” cooking, the deeply practical art of stretching ingredients without making dinner feel bleak.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Leonor was gray-haired, untalkative, unsmiling—but she showed her care in her cooking.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• cookery
• cuisine
• culinary art
• culinary science