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Synonyms

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.

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

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.

The series sees the Devil Wears Prada 2 star travel across the country - from Sicily to Sardinia to northern Italy - exploring regional cooking traditions, local communities and family-run kitchens.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Other times it’s cooking up new plays with the coaches.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Bitter melon, or uchche in Bengali—a staple in Ma’s cooking.

From Salon • May 9, 2026

The shortfall is forcing countries in Asia to ration cooking fuel and airlines in Europe to cancel flights because of a jet fuel shortage.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

It didn’t take long to find out that I knew absolutely nothing about cooking.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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.