cook

In slang, to cook means to do something really well, especially when you’re on a roll. “Let him cook” means “let him keep going, he knows what he’s doing.” Being “cooked,” on the other hand, means you’re finished or in serious trouble.

What does cook mean?

When someone is cooking, they’re in the zone: a player scoring again and again, a friend telling a brilliant story, or someone making a bold plan that just might work. “Let him cook” (or “let her cook”) tells others to stop interrupting and see where it goes. It can be sincere or sarcastic, when someone’s idea is clearly heading for disaster.

“Cooked” means the opposite

Confusingly, “cooked” has a separate meaning: done for, exhausted or doomed. “I didn’t study at all, I’m cooked” means the exam is going to go badly. “We’re so cooked” is a common reaction to bad news.

How to use cook

• “He’s got a whole theory about the finale. Let him cook.”
• “She’s cooking in this game, 30 points already.”
• “Let him cook… oh no, he burned the kitchen down.” (sarcastic)
• “It’s 2 a.m. and I have an exam at 9. I’m cooked.”

Where cook comes from

Dictionary.com credits rapper Lil B with popularizing the phrase: he tweeted “Let that boy cook!!!!!!” on July 26, 2010, and released a song called “I Cook” the same year. Know Your Meme notes that “Let Russ Cook,” about NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, took off in fall 2020, and a “let him cook” TikTok sound spread from December 2022 into early 2023.

Related terms

• Ate: did something perfectly.
• Cracked: extremely skilled.
• Goated: the best.
• Based: boldly yourself.

See more terms like this in our Gen Z slang dictionary.