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
The public was quick to cook up a feuding diva narrative when Israeli co-star Gal Gadot, who served the mandatory two years in the IDF, spoke out against antisemitism and advocated for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
Coming off the back of a frustrating tournament at the Players Championship, where Scheffler finished tied for 20th, the American will hope some familiar food can cook up his first win of the season.
—Ben Church, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
Top Chef judges dish on upcoming season 15, how altitude 'changed the game'
See, after the first All-Stars, the folks cooking up Top Chef seemed to worry that the show was growing stale.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Running to the store just might be easier than cooking up your own batch of chocolate chip cookies.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook up
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
Coming off the back of a frustrating tournament at the Players Championship, where Scheffler finished tied for 20th, the American will hope some familiar food can cook up his first win of the season.
—Ben Church, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
Top Chef judges dish on upcoming season 15, how altitude 'changed the game'
See, after the first All-Stars, the folks cooking up Top Chef seemed to worry that the show was growing stale.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Running to the store just might be easier than cooking up your own batch of chocolate chip cookies.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook up
Cite this Entry
“Cook up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20up. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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