cook dinner

Meaning

This phrase means to prepare and heat food for the evening meal. It is a very common daily collocation. You can use it when talking about making a meal for yourself, your family, or guests.

Examples

• I usually cook dinner around 7 PM after I get home from work.

  I usually cook dinner around 7 PM after I get home from work.

• Would you like to cook dinner together tonight?

  Would you like to cook dinner together tonight?

• My dad is going to cook dinner for us on Sunday.

  My dad is going to cook dinner for us on Sunday.

• I'm too tired to cook dinner, so let's just order some pizza.

  I'm too tired to cook dinner, so let's just order some pizza.

• Who is going to cook dinner tonight, you or me?

  Who is going to cook dinner tonight, you or me?

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I will cook a dinner for us.

  ✓ I will cook dinner for us.

  We do not use the indefinite article 'a' before 'dinner' when talking about the meal in a general sense.

• ✗ She is cooking the dinner in the kitchen.

  ✓ She is cooking dinner in the kitchen.

  Native speakers usually omit the article 'the' when referring to daily meals like breakfast, lunch, or dinner unless speaking about a specific, pre-arranged event.

Related Expressions

Practice

• What time do you usually ___?

  💡 Prepare the evening meal

  Show answer

  cook dinner

• I don't want to eat out tonight; I'd rather ___ at home.

  💡 Make food for the evening

  Show answer

  cook dinner