recipe

noun

rec·​i·​pe ˈre-sə-(ˌ)pē 

1

: prescription sense 4a

2

: a set of instructions for making something from various ingredients

3

: a formula or procedure for doing or attaining something

a recipe for success

Synonyms

• approach
• fashion
• form
• how
• manner
• method
• methodology
• strategy
• style
• system
• tack
• tactics
• technique
• way

Examples of recipe in a Sentence

The recipe calls for fresh thyme.

I didn't read the recipe carefully.

This is one of my grandmother's recipes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Go easy on the mortadella; the recipe calls for 2 lb., which is a lot. —Kendra Vaculin, Bon Appétit, 11 Feb. 2025

Most of the egg-laying chickens — nearly 22 million — died in the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, creating a supply shock that ran headlong into peak seasonal demand around the winter holidays, when more households buy eggs for baking recipes, for example, Smith said. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2025

Chow inherited the recipe from his mom, who received it from a neighbor. —Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025

Get Jennifer Garner's recipe for cinnamon toast What Does Cinnamon Toast Taste Like? —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, take, imperative of recipere to take, receive — more at receive

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recipe

• recipe book
• recipe for disaster

Kids Definition

recipe

noun

rec·​i·​pe ˈres-ə-(ˌ)pē 

1

: prescription sense 2a

2

: a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) from various things

a recipe for beef stew

3

: method of proceeding

a recipe for success

Medical Definition

recipe

noun

rec·​i·​pe ˈres-ə-(ˌ)pē 

: prescription sense 1