Cook — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈku̇k/

Meaning & Definition of Cook

Cook (noun)

  1. a person who prepares food for eating
  2. a technical or industrial process comparable to cooking food; also, a substance so processed

Cook (verb)

  1. to prepare (food) for eating by a heating process
  2. concoct, fabricate —usually used with up
  3. to alter (something, such as records) with the intention of deceiving or misleading, falsify, doctor

Cook (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to change so much as to create a wrong impression or alter the meaning of

    "it turns out the pharmaceutical researcher had cooked her data"

    similar: bend, color, distort, falsify, fudge, garble, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, slant, twist, warp
    related: misdescribe, misspeak, mistranslate, belie, camouflage, disguise, dissemble, gloss (over), mask, veil, whitewash, bowdlerize, censor, complicate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up), mystify, obscure, equivocate, fib, lie, palter, prevaricate
    near: clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out, decipher

  2. to take place

    "wondered what was cooking when several police cars pulled up to their neighbor's house"

    similar: be, befall, betide, chance, come, come about, come down, come off, do, go down (slang), go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire, come to pass
    related: break, develop, rise, shape (up), arise, come up, crop (up), materialize, spring (up), intervene, fall out, follow, result, turn out, go off, proceed

Cook (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a person who prepares food by some manner of heating

    "the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp"

    similar: chef, cooker, culinarian
    related: baker, pâtissier, barbecuer, griller

Related Entry: Cook (up) (verb)

Cook (up) is a different word from Cook. The synonyms below are for cook (up), not for cook.

  1. to create or think of by clever use of the imagination

    "cooked up a scheme to get out of doing the dishes"

    similar: concoct, construct, contrive, devise, drum up, excogitate, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, think (up), trump up, vamp (up), come up with
    related: coin, design, hatch, produce, daydream, dream, fantasize, conceive, envisage, envision, imagine, picture, vision, visualize, ad-lib, extemporize, improvise
    near: clone, copy, copycat, duplicate, imitate, mimic, reduplicate, replicate, reproduce

Related Entry: Pressure-cook (verb)

Pressure-cook is a different word from Cook. The synonyms below are for pressure-cook, not for cook.

  1. as in steam, smother

    similar: braise, fricassee, smother, steam, scald, reboil, boil, coddle, parboil, poach, simmer, stew

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Cook

The most common words with a similar meaning to Cook:

Slang: go down
bend, color, distort, falsify, fudge, garble, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent, misstate, pervert, slant, twist, warp, be, befall, betide, chance, come, come about, come down, come off, do, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, transpire, come to pass, chef, cooker, culinarian

Related Words for Cook

misdescribe, misspeak, mistranslate, belie, camouflage, disguise, dissemble, gloss (over), mask, veil, whitewash, bowdlerize, censor, complicate, confound, confuse, mistake, mix (up), mystify, obscure, equivocate, fib, lie, palter, prevaricate, break, develop, rise, shape (up), arise

Near Antonyms of Cook

clarify, clear (up), explain, illuminate, illustrate, interpret, spell out, decipher

Word Forms of Cook

Inflections: cooks, cooked, cooking

Derived words: cookable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Cook

Middle English, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus, from coquere to cook; akin to Old English āfigen fried, Greek pessein to cook

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Cook

Words & Phrases Containing Cook

cook cheese, cook-off, cook one's goose, cook off, Cook's tour, cook the books

Frequently Asked Questions about Cook

What does "Cook" mean?

"Cook" means a person who prepares food for eating. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a person who prepares food for eating. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Cook"?

Other words for "Cook" include bend, color, distort, falsify, fudge, garble, misinterpret and misrelate. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Cook" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Cook"?

There are 79 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Cook". Common alternatives include bend, color, distort, falsify, fudge, garble, misinterpret, misrelate, misrepresent and misstate.

How do you use "Cook" in a sentence?

Examples of "Cook" in a sentence: "it turns out the pharmaceutical researcher had cooked her data"; "wondered what was cooking when several police cars pulled up to their neighbor's house"; "the hearty meals prepared by the cook at summer camp".

Is "Cook" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Cook" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Cook" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Cook" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Cook"?

"Cook" is pronounced /ˈku̇k/.

What is the origin of the word "Cook"?

"Cook" comes from Middle English, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus, from coquere to cook; akin to Old English āfigen fried, Greek pessein to cook. First known use: before 12th century.