cooking
Americannoun
-
the act of a person or thing that cooks.
-
the art or practice of preparing food; cookery.
adjective
-
used in preparing foods.
All of my cooking utensils are packed, so I had to order pizza.
-
suited for use in cooked food.
The Golden Delicious is our favorite cooking apple, especially for applesauce.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cooking with firewood or coal is unsafe in cramped rooms in slums.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Cooking one more night a week could result in you having a bit more wiggle room in your “fun” budget.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
Cooking shows in the U.S. date to the 1920s when Betty Crocker, a fictional character created by Washburn-Crosby, the predecessor of General Mills, provided practical cooking instruction to American homemakers on the radio.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Cooking is slow not for romance, but because it has to be.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026
Cooking, I try my best to balance the temperature and heat.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
