cook up

phrasal verb

cooked up; cooking up; cooks up
1
: to prepare (food) for eating especially quickly
I can cook up some hamburgers.
He cooked this whole meal up in less than 30 minutes.
2
: to invent (something, such as an idea, excuse, etc.) to deal with a particular situation
They cooked up a scheme to fool their neighbor.
You'll have to cook an excuse up quickly.

Examples of cook up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Plus everything else to know about cooking up, serving, and storing a pot of this tasty carb. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 13 May 2025 Watson used it to cook up a substance that would make only someone with Moriarty’s DNA really sick; Ingrid arrived at the meeting hours ahead of time to coat every surface with it, practically ensuring that Moriarty would fall ill afterward. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 May 2025 Torbjørn Eide, a production manager at a fish farm in Norway, cooked up a deal too tempting to turn down. Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 8 May 2025 In this heartwarming kitchen adventure, Nina joins her grandmother to cook up a tasty morning meal for the whole family. Fiona Tapp, Parents, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cook up

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cook up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20up. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on cook up

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!