bake
gb/bˈeɪk/ us/bˈeɪk/
A2
English
~ 8600
süt, sül, megsül, keményre szárad, rakott étel, sütőben sült egytálétel
VERB
A2
1
Usage pattern:
to bake [food] (in the oven)
I baked a chocolate cake for her birthday.
Csokitortát sütöttem a születésnapjára.
The bread needs to bake for about thirty minutes.
A kenyérnek körülbelül harminc percig kell sülnie.
She bakes fresh cookies every Sunday afternoon.
Bake the chicken until the skin is golden and crisp.
Let the lasagna bake uncovered for the last ten minutes.
Learner examples
I bake bread every weekend.
Minden hétvégén kenyeret sütök.
Please bake the pizza for fifteen minutes.
Kérlek, süsd a pizzát tizenöt percig.
She likes to bake cookies for her friends.
We will bake the fish in the oven.
Common mistake:
Learners often use 'cook' instead of 'bake' for cakes and bread, saying *'I cooked a cake'* instead of *'I baked a cake'*. Use 'bake' for food cooked with dry heat in an oven (like bread, cakes, and many desserts) and 'cook' as the general word. Another mistake is saying *'bake in 180 degrees'*; it is more natural to say *'bake at 180 degrees'*.
Meaning
Cook food in an oven
Collocations
bake bread
|bake a cake
|bake cookies
|bake in the oven
|freshly baked bread
|bake at 180 degrees
Synonyms
cook (More general; can use any method such as boiling, frying, or grilling, while 'bake' is specifically dry heat, usually in an oven.)
|
roast (Often used for meat or vegetables cooked at high heat, sometimes uncovered and with added fat, while 'bake' is common for bread, cakes, and many desserts.)
Antonyms
freeze (To make food very cold or hard by lowering its temperature, the opposite of heating it in an oven.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
To cook food in an oven using dry heat.
To cook food by exposing it to steady dry heat, typically in an oven.
VERB
B1
INFORMAL
2
megsül
B1
Usage pattern:
to bake (in [place])
We were baking in the car while stuck in traffic.
Majd megsültünk az autóban, miközben a dugóban álltunk.
I was baking in my thick coat on the crowded train.
Majd megsültem a vastag kabátomban a zsúfolt vonaton.
They spent the afternoon baking on the beach with no shade.
It's so hot in this room that everyone is baking.
Learner examples
We are baking in this small room.
Majd megsülünk ebben a kis szobában.
I was baking on the bus because it was so hot.
Majd megsültem a buszon, olyan meleg volt.
They were baking in the sun at the park.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the cooking meaning and say things like *'The sun baked me'* when they mean *'I was baking in the sun.'* Use this sense mainly for how a person or animal feels, often in the pattern *'We were baking in [place].'*
Meaning
Feel uncomfortably hot
Collocations
bake in the sun
|bake inside the car
|we're baking in here
|bake on the beach
Synonyms
swelter (More formal and descriptive; often used in writing, while 'bake' is more casual and conversational.)
Antonyms
freeze (To feel very cold, the opposite of feeling extremely hot.)
Themes
weather
|daily life
|emotions
|daily_life
Definition
To feel very hot and uncomfortable because it is very warm.
To feel extremely hot and uncomfortable because of high temperature, especially in the sun or in a closed space.
VERB
B2
3
Usage pattern:
to bake [surface or material]
The soil baked hard after weeks without rain.
A talaj hetekig tartó esőtlenség után keményre száradt.
Mud bricks are left in the sun to bake before they are used.
A vályogtéglákat a napon hagyják keményre száradni, mielőtt felhasználják őket.
The clay baked solid in the intense heat.
Learner examples
The ground baked hard in the hot sun.
A föld keményre száradt a forró napon.
The mud baked and turned to dry earth.
A sár keményre száradt, és száraz föld lett belőle.
The field baked for days without rain.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this sense can be used for earth or materials, not just food. In this meaning, 'bake' does not involve cooking; it describes what happens to the ground or other materials in strong heat.
Meaning
Become dry and hard from heat
Collocations
the ground baked hard
|baked earth
|bake dry
|fields baked in the sun
Synonyms
dry out (General term for losing moisture; 'bake' suggests strong, often sun-driven heat that makes something very dry and sometimes hard.)
Antonyms
soak (To become very wet by absorbing liquid, the opposite of becoming dry and hard.)
Themes
nature
|weather
Definition
To become dry and hard because the sun or heat is very strong.
To become very dry and hard as a result of strong heat, especially from the sun.
NOUN
B1
4
Usage pattern:
a [ingredient] bake
We're having a tuna and sweetcorn bake for dinner.
Vacsorára tonhalas-kukoricás rakott ételt eszünk.
She brought a cheesy pasta bake to the party.
Sajtos rakott tésztát hozott az összejövetelre.
This vegetable bake is one of my favorite easy meals.
Learner examples
I made a pasta bake for my family.
Rakott tésztát készítettem a családomnak.
We ate a potato bake with cheese.
Sajtos rakott krumplit ettünk.
He brought a chicken bake to the picnic.
Common mistake:
Learners may expect 'bake' as a noun to mean any baked food, but in many recipes it specifically refers to a one-dish meal such as a 'pasta bake' or 'potato bake', not to bread or cakes.
Meaning
Dish baked in one container
Collocations
pasta bake
|potato bake
|tuna bake
|vegetable bake
Synonyms
casserole (Very similar; often includes sauces and is baked in a deep dish, but 'casserole' is more established, while 'bake' is common in names like 'pasta bake'.)
Antonyms
salad (A cold or room‑temperature mixed dish, often uncooked, contrasting with a hot dish baked in the oven.)
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
A food dish where different things are mixed and cooked together in the oven in one dish.
A dish made by combining ingredients and cooking them together in an oven, usually in a single deep container.
Grammar
Dictionary form
bake
IPA
GB/bˈeɪk/
US/bˈeɪk/
Syllables & stress
bake (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (bake)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: bake
- 3rd Person Singular: bakes
- Present Participle: baking
- Past: baked
Word family
Expressions
bake in
1/bˈeɪk ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
Include as a built-in feature
To include something, such as a rule or feature, as a permanent part of a system, plan, or product from the start.
Examples
- The new law bakes in stronger protections for consumers.
- We should bake in regular feedback sessions when we design the project schedule.
- Security needs to be baked in from the beginning, not added later.
bake sale
1/bˈeɪk sˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
Fundraiser selling baked goods
An event where people sell cakes, cookies, and other baked food to collect money, usually for a school, club, or charity.
Examples
- The school is holding a bake sale to raise money for new computers.
- She made cupcakes for the charity bake sale.
- We raised over $500 at the weekend bake sale.
bake-off
1/bˈeɪk ˈɔf/
fixed phrase
Baking competition
A competition where people bake cakes, bread, or other things, and judges decide who baked the best one.
Examples
- Our office is organizing a bake-off to raise money for charity.
- She won first prize in the local bake-off with her lemon tart.
- The TV show turned a simple village bake-off into a national event.
half-baked
1/hˈæf bˈeɪkt/
idiom
informal
Poorly planned or developed idea
Used to describe an idea or plan that is not well thought out or not fully developed.
Examples
- The manager rejected their half-baked proposal immediately.
- We need a solid strategy, not some half-baked idea you thought of on the train.
- His plan to quit his job and travel with no money sounded completely half-baked.