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."
separable
cook off
C1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To evaporate liquid by applying heat, or (in military/weapons contexts) for ammunition to fire unintentionally due to extreme heat.
In plain English
To burn away liquid with heat, or (for a gun or bullet) to go off because it got too hot.
What does "cook off" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cook something until it goes off or away.
Actually means
To burn away liquid with heat, or (for a gun or bullet) to go off because it got too hot.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "cook off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
alcohol liquid ammunition round excess fat solvent
How to conjugate "cook off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "cook off" in the wild
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Other ways to say "cook off"
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