Cook out or cookout?
cook out is a noun meaning “Alternative form of cookout”; cookout is a noun meaning “A gathering for a meal that is cooked and eaten outside; either a domestic…”. cook out is written as two words and cookout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between cook out and cookout?
| cook out | cookout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Meaning | To cook a group meal outside as a family, workplace or other social unit To cook (something) sufficiently | USA gathering for a meal that is cooked and eaten outside; either a domestic barbecue or a larger social event |
| Example | You've got to cook out the spices to get rid of the bitterness | none recorded |
| Forms | none | cookouts |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈkʊkaʊt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 3 million words |
Sources: cook out and cookout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of cook out and cookout
cook out
- 1
Alternative form of cookout
- 2
To cook a group meal outside as a family, workplace or other social unit
- 3
To cook (something) sufficiently
You've got to cook out the spices to get rid of the bitterness
cookout
- 1
USA gathering for a meal that is cooked and eaten outside; either a domestic barbecue or a larger social event
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, cook out or cookout?
cook out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; cookout about once in every 3 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).