When you bake food, you cook it in an oven with dry heat. This is often used for bread, cakes, and other foods.
I bake bread every Sunday.
She bakes a cake for the party.
This meaning is for heating materials like clay or bricks to make them hard and strong. Heat changes the material to a solid form.
The potter bakes the clay to make it hard.
Bricks are baked in a kiln for strength.
This means to feel very hot or stressed, like you are under pressure. It is often used when someone is uncomfortable because of heat or difficulty.
I was baking in the hot room all day.
She baked under the stress at work.
In technology, baking means heating something to make it hard or dry, like paint or film. This makes the material stronger or ready to use.
The paint is baked to dry fast.
They bake the film to make it strong.
This informal use means lying in the sun to get warm or brown skin. It is a relaxed way to enjoy sunny weather.
We baked on the beach all afternoon.
He likes to bake in summer.
Though rare, 'bake' can also be a noun meaning a person or device that bakes food. It is informal and less common than 'baker'.
The bake in the kitchen is working well.
She is a good bake and makes great pies.
