cooked.
In serious trouble, exhausted, defeated, or beyond an easy fix. “Am I cooked?” asks whether the situation is hopeless.
What does cooked mean?
Being cooked usually means a person or situation is in bad shape. Before an exam, it may mean unprepared; after a long shift, exhausted; during a game, likely to lose. The precise problem comes from context, while the word adds a dramatic sense that things have gone too far.
“Am I cooked?” often invites advice or reassurance, sometimes about a very small mistake. It is not always literal despair. Crucially, being cooked is different from cooking or “let them cook,” which can praise someone’s work or ask that they be allowed to continue. The grammar can reverse the evaluation.
See how it lands.
Original examples written for this entry, not quotations from the sources.
The deadline is in an hour and we have not started. We are cooked.
After that overnight shift, I am absolutely cooked.
The right word.
The right moment.
Use it casually to dramatize a setback or tiredness. If someone seems genuinely distressed, respond to the actual problem rather than just matching the joke.
Avoid assuming it describes intoxication or health in every context. Those are possible regional senses, not the default meaning of every online comment.
Not quite the same as…
let them cook
That usually means let someone continue developing an idea or doing something well. They are cooking can be positive; they are cooked is usually negative.
A little backstory.
Cooked has older figurative uses for trouble and exhaustion, alongside its literal food meaning. Recent online uses extend those established metaphors rather than provide one clear first coinage.
Supported by Wiktionary contributors
Still wondering?
Is cooked good or bad slang?
Being cooked is usually negative. Cooking can be praise, so check the form of the sentence.
What should I reply to “am I cooked?”
Answer the situation: offer practical advice, reassurance, or a joke if it is clearly lighthearted.
Sources & checks
Meaning and factual notes are informed by the references below. Examples and usage advice are original editorial writing. A source documents use; it does not measure current popularity.
- cooked — English entry ↗Wiktionary contributors · checked 19 Oct 2026Supports: meaning; usage