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
Hank and Peggy’s son Bobby (Pamela Adlon) has grown up, though, and is now a chef at his own restaurant, cooking up Japanese-style robata.
—
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 25 July 2025
The sticky material cooked up by the team, meanwhile, could be applied to the tumors specifically—and remain there even if the patient urinates.
—Health Reporter, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
In Hereditary, Toni Collette’s Annie really is being manipulated by an infernal scheme cooked up by her late mother.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 July 2025
Music assails the senses, as do aromas from food vendors cooking up snacks for the visitors.
—Norma Galeana, CNN Money, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cook up
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.
Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 25 July 2025
The sticky material cooked up by the team, meanwhile, could be applied to the tumors specifically—and remain there even if the patient urinates.
—Health Reporter, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
In Hereditary, Toni Collette’s Annie really is being manipulated by an infernal scheme cooked up by her late mother.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 July 2025
Music assails the senses, as do aromas from food vendors cooking up snacks for the visitors.
—Norma Galeana, CNN Money, 4 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share