In modern slang, “cooked” generally means being completely ruined, doomed, or exhausted. It is a versatile phrase heavily popularized by Gen Z and internet culture on platforms like TikTok and Twitch.
1. Doomed, Finished, or Trapped
When someone says “I’m cooked” or “We’re cooked”, it means they are in serious trouble, destined to fail, or hopelessly caught. It is a modernized equivalent of the old idiom “your goose is cooked”.
Example: “I completely forgot about my chemistry final tomorrow. I’m cooked.”
Example: “Down by 20 points in the fourth quarter? Yeah, we’re cooked.”
2. Physically or Mentally Exhausted
Similar to being “fried” or “burnt out,” it describes a state of total mental or physical depletion.
Example: “After working a double shift and commuting in traffic, I am completely cooked.”
3. Defeated or Humiliated
In gaming or arguments, getting “cooked” means being severely beaten or severely insulted.
Example: “He tried to roast me in the group chat, but I totally cooked him back.”
4. Intoxicated
Borrowing from 1970s drug culture, it is sometimes used to describe someone who is heavily under the influence of drugs or alcohol