cooking

UK: /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ US: /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ ,(kŏŏk′ing)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cook•ing /ˈkʊkɪŋ/   n. [uncountable]

1. the act or practice of preparing food:
   She took a class in cooking.
2. the food so prepared:
   She loves Japanese cooking.

adj. [before a noun]

3. specially made for cooking:
   two tablespoons of cooking sherry.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cook•ing  (kŏŏk′ing), n. 

1. the act of a person or thing that cooks.
2. the art or practice of preparing food;
   cookery.

adj. 

3. used in preparing foods:
   a cooking utensil.
4. fit to eat when cooked (distinguished from eating):
   cooking apples.

• cook¹ + -ing¹, -ing² 1635–45

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

cook¹ /kʊk/   v. 

1. to prepare (food) by heat: [~ + object]
   Who's going to cook dinner tonight?
   [no object]
   I don't feel like cooking.
2. (of food) to undergo cooking:
   [no object] The rice is cooking.
3. Informal Terms Informal. to make (accounts) false by changing in a dishonest way:
   [~ + object] The accountant tried to cook the books.
4. [no object] [Informal.] to take place or develop: What's cooking around here—anything happening?
5. Slang Terms [no object] Slang. to perform or do something extremely well or with energy and style:
   The band is really cooking tonight.
6. cook up, [~ + up + object] [Informal.] to make up (an excuse, etc.) in order to deceive:
   What new scheme are you cooking up this time?

n. [countable]

7. a person who cooks.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cook¹  (kŏŏk), v.t. 

1. to prepare (food) by the use of heat, as by boiling, baking, or roasting.
2. to subject (anything) to the application of heat.
3. Slang Terms to ruin;
   spoil.
4. Informal Terms to falsify, as accounts:
   to cook the expense figures.

v.i. 

5. to prepare food by the use of heat.
6. (of food) to undergo cooking.
7. Slang Terms
   • 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?
8. Military 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.
9. cook one's goose. See goose (def. 9).
10. cook the books, [Slang.] to manipulate the financial records of a company, organization, etc., so as to conceal profits, avoid taxes, or present a false financial report to stockholders.
11. cook up, [Informal.]
    • to concoct or contrive, often dishonestly:
      She hastily cooked up an excuse.
    • to falsify:
      Someone had obviously cooked up the alibi.

n. 

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

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

cook′a•ble, adj. 
cook′less, adj. 

cook²  (ko̅o̅k, kŏŏk), v.i. [Scot.]

1. Scottish Terms to hide, esp. outdoors, as by crouching down behind a hedge.

• perh. blend of, blended Middle English couche bend, stoop (see couch) and Middle English croke bend, stoop (see crooked) 1780–90

Cook  (kŏŏk), n. 

1. Biographical Frederick Albert, 1865–1940, U.S. physician and polar explorer.
George Cram  (kram), 1873–1924, U.S. novelist, dramatist, and poet.
2. Biographical Captain James, 1728–79, English navigator and explorer in the S Pacific, Antarctic Ocean, and along the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.
3. Biographical Sir Joseph, 1860–1947, Australian statesman, born in England: prime minister 1913–14.
4. Place Names Mount. Also called Aorangi. a mountain in New Zealand, on South Island. 12,349 ft. (3764 m).

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cook / kʊk/ verb

1. to prepare (food) by the action of heat, as by boiling, baking, etc, or (of food) to become ready for eating through such a process
   Related adjective(s): culinary
2. to subject or be subjected to the action of intense heat: the town cooked in the sun
3. (transitive) to alter or falsify (something, esp figures, accounts, etc): to cook the books
4. (transitive) to spoil or ruin (something)
5. (intransitive) to happen (esp in the phrase what's cooking?)
6. (transitive) to prepare (any of several drugs) by heating
7. (intransitive) to play vigorously: the band was cooking
8. cook someone's goose ⇒ to spoil someone's plans
9. to bring about someone's ruin, downfall, etc

noun

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

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

ˈcookable adjective

ˈcooking noun