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
European leaders do not have to abide by whatever deal Trump cooks up with Putin for Ukraine.
—
Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2025
Wonder still cooks up its meals at three centralized kitchens but now ships them out to 37 locations across five states.
—Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025
Kamado Joe View 8 Images Kamado Joe's new grill is designed for pitmasters who need plenty of room to cook up a feast, and also appreciate the convenience of high-tech features in their barbecue gear.
—New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2025
An actress and writer, Rothwell, cut her teeth cooking up sketches on Saturday Night Live (2014–2015) before making a splash as both a writer and performer on HBO’s Insecure (2016–2020).
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cook up 
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Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2025
Wonder still cooks up its meals at three centralized kitchens but now ships them out to 37 locations across five states.
—Phoebe Liu, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025
Kamado Joe View 8 Images Kamado Joe's new grill is designed for pitmasters who need plenty of room to cook up a feast, and also appreciate the convenience of high-tech features in their barbecue gear.
—New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2025
An actress and writer, Rothwell, cut her teeth cooking up sketches on Saturday Night Live (2014–2015) before making a splash as both a writer and performer on HBO’s Insecure (2016–2020).
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 30 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 23 Feb. 2025.
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