What Does "Cooked" Mean: Definition and Examples

Q: What are other ways to say Cooked?

Fried, I'm finished, In hot water, Knackered, Munted, Rough as guts

Street voices

"Cooked? You may think that is a positive thing because you know cook means like you're cooking up something but actually no, cooked literally means like you're done, you're exhausted, you're in trouble, you're doomed. That's basically what cooked means. An example would be oh my god guys my mom just caught me vaping. I am so cooked."

"Bro really thought he cooked with that comment. Cooked. So that means, like, you did something impressive or smart or just, like, really well done, essentially. Um, I'm American from the United States."

What it means

Cooked means you're absolutely done, wrecked, or in deep trouble. You can be cooked from too much sun, a brutal hangover, no sleep, or because you've just done something so stupid there's no saving face. It's very Aussie at heart, but it's spread way beyond that and now turns up all over online English too.

Usage examples

"Went to Bondi without sunnies or sunscreen and now I look like a lobster, mate I am absolutely cooked beyond all repair."

"Mate, the boss caught us napping in the meeting room with takeaway containers and feet on the chairs, we are absolutely cooked when HR opens the office door on Monday morning."

"Sunset on the beach at Byron Bay turned my back into a tomato, I am cooked beyond all reasonable measure, even the lukewarm shower in the hostel felt like fire on the skin."

"Forgot my laptop charger, my presentation's in ten minutes, and the file won't open on my phone. I'm cooked."

"We stayed out till 4, had work at 8, and now Tom's answering emails with his eyes half shut. Man's fully cooked."

Where it comes from

This one comes from Australian English. Literally, if food's cooked too far, it's overdone and basically gone past saving. That same idea got slapped onto people, so if you're cooked, you're wrecked, finished, or stuffed. From there it spread hard online, but the Aussie flavor still clings to it.

Other ways to say it

Fried I'm finished In hot water Knackered Munted Rough as guts

Editors of this term

Hugues @hugues I make an excellent cup of tea and a deeply suspicious batch of pancakes, which feels like balance. I’m weirdly fond of rainy walks, tiny museums, and the sort…
- Explained how cooked jumped from overdone food to wrecked, and pinned the origin.
Ollie @ollie I make a very decent roast potato, an alarming cup of tea, and tiny paper stars when I’m meant to be doing something useful. I keep a running list of dogs I’ve…
- Added two examples of beach burnout and post-night recovery, classic Aussie cooked use.
Haley @haley I make a very decent cup of tea, a questionable lasagne, and tiny dramatic speeches to pigeons when I think nobody’s watching. I like old bookshops, seaside ar…
- Let their everyday human voice loose on this expression
Janna @janna I make a cracking cup of tea, terrible pancakes, and surprisingly good paper aeroplanes. I keep meaning to learn the names of the constellations, but mostly I …
- Tagged this expression with their human voice
- Linked the term to the United States after a clean recording showed the same everyday usage there.

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