bake
/beɪk/ IELTSAcademic
verb
- 1.
To cook food in an oven or over dry heat. It is often used for bread, cakes, cookies, and some vegetables.
- She baked a chocolate cake for his birthday.
- We bake bread every Sunday.
- Please bake the potatoes for 40 minutes.
- 2.
To become very hot because of strong sun or heat. This use is often informal.
- We were baking in the afternoon sun.
- The car baked all day in the parking lot.
- The road seemed to bake under the heat.
Adinary Nuance
Bake is more specific than cook. You usually bake food in an oven, while cook can mean preparing food in many ways. Bake is also more natural than roast for cakes, bread, and biscuits. In everyday speech, bake often sounds warmer and more home-like than prepare or make.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- nướng
- Spanish
- hornear
- Chinese
- 烘烤
- Japanese
- 焼く
- Korean
- 굽다
Etymology
Bake comes from Old English bacan, meaning to cook by dry heat. It has been used in English since early medieval times.
Common phrases
bake a cakebake breadbake in the ovenbake under the sun
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is bake the same as cook?
- No. Bake usually means cooking with dry heat, especially in an oven.
- What is the difference between bake and roast?
- Bake is common for bread, cakes, and cookies. Roast is common for meat and vegetables.
- Can I say bake for the sun feeling very hot?
- Yes, but this is informal. It means to be very hot in strong sun or heat.