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cook off

C1 neutral separable both
In simple words

To burn away liquid with heat, or (for a gun or bullet) to go off because it got too hot.

Literal meaning: To cook something until it goes off or away.

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

(Culinary) To remove liquid, alcohol, or fat from food by applying heat until it evaporates.

"Add the wine and let it cook off for a few minutes before adding the stock."

Grammar: separable
2 C1 idiomatic neutral

(Military/firearms) For ammunition or explosives to detonate unintentionally as a result of excessive heat rather than being triggered.

"The soldiers feared the stored rounds might cook off if the fire reached the ammunition depot."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Has two distinct domains: culinary (reducing alcohol or liquid by heat) and military/firearms (ammunition firing due to ambient heat without a trigger pull). The military sense is technical and specialist. Neither sense is common in everyday conversation.

Commonly used with

alcohol liquid ammunition round excess fat solvent

Forms

Base
cook off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cooks off
he/she/it
Past simple
cooked off
yesterday
Past participle
cooked off
have + pp
-ing form
cooking off
continuous

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Synonyms

evaporate boil off reduce burn off

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