cookout
Americannoun
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cookouts
plural
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a party or entertainment featuring the cooking and eating of a meal out of doors.
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the process of cooking and eating a meal outdoors.
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a meal cooked and eaten in the open.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cookout
1945–50, noun use of verb phrase cook out
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.
See Examples For:
The cookout on Cimarron Street is another opportunity, and he’s determined not to waste it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
A potato PSA: Before your next cookout, you need to read Danny Palumbo’s guide to making a better potato salad.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The bill will be 9.4% higher than last year’s holiday cookout, according to Datasembly, a company that collects prices for retailers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Her pig roast is also part salmon bake and part old-school cookout, a beautiful gathering of nations grooving to an eclectic vibe I’ve tried to replicate here.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
I peeped a few of the people that had showed up so far to the health fair and cookout.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
It’s sweet, tangy, and pickley—the perfect complement to backyard cookouts.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
They show up alongside burgers at cookouts, tucked next to sandwiches at beach delis, speared into Bloody Marys, eaten cold straight from the fridge after a day outside.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Those hosting cookouts this Memorial Day weekend should prepare to spend more than they did last year, as the cost of barbecue essentials has skyrocketed.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
These groups organised local community events, such as charity drives, cookouts and political discussions, before switching to full-time campaigning.
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
She’s thinking about her father and their cookouts and the people she misses.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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.
