Reading English dictionaries

I have a question about reading English dictionaries. Here are examples.

cook

1 [intransitive and transitive] "to prepare food for eating by using heat"


The meaning of cook is to prepare food for eating by using heat and then can we replace cook with the phrase for the same meaning like


I prepared food for eating by using heat = I cooked


I think it is unnatural and unnecessary although they mean the same.


kill

1 [intransitive and transitive] to make a person or animal die


However, I think that it is natural to replace kill with "to make a person or animal die" like


I made him die = I killed him.


If you do not like the examples, please use your own examples.


So when I read English dictionaries, the explanation starting with to infinitive can be replaced with words but sometimes they can't be, right?


What do you native English speakers think?


Thank you so much as always in advance.