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
And near coral reefs, where competition for food is particularly fierce, nature has cooked up an extraordinary solution: octopus and fish teaming up to hunt.
—
Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
With 2025’s Sundance Film Festival wrapping up, the Institute responsible for the yearly indie forum is already cooking up plans for next year’s gathering.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 Feb. 2025
But director Andrew Ahn and his co-writer James Schamus, who filled that same role on Ang Lee’s beloved original, have cooked up a clever contemporary reimagining that honors the source while opening it up to all sorts of new realities.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
Southern Living’s recipe catalog is proof that there are countless delicious ways to cook up a breakfast casserole, but for some reason, this Cheesy Sausage-And-Croissant Casserole has stuck with our family.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cook up 
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Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2025
With 2025’s Sundance Film Festival wrapping up, the Institute responsible for the yearly indie forum is already cooking up plans for next year’s gathering.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 Feb. 2025
But director Andrew Ahn and his co-writer James Schamus, who filled that same role on Ang Lee’s beloved original, have cooked up a clever contemporary reimagining that honors the source while opening it up to all sorts of new realities.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
Southern Living’s recipe catalog is proof that there are countless delicious ways to cook up a breakfast casserole, but for some reason, this Cheesy Sausage-And-Croissant Casserole has stuck with our family.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cook up
Dictionary Entries Near cook up
Cite this Entry
“Cook up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cook%20up. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
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