cooky

IPA/kˈʊki/
IPA/kˈʊki/

cooky — noun

1. a small, flat, sweet baked food that is usually crisp or slightly soft, often ma

1.nounA1
Definition

a small, flat, sweet baked food that is usually crisp or slightly soft, often made with pieces of chocolate, nuts, or dried fruit.

Example

When Amara opened the tin, the smell of fresh-baked cookies filled the kitchen.

collocation: fresh-baked cookies

Mei packed two chocolate cookies in her son's lunchbox every morning.

countable noun with number determiner

Common collocations
  • bake cookies
  • chocolate chip cookie
  • sugar cookie
  • oatmeal cookie
  • cookie jar
  • cookie dough
  • batch of cookies
Synonyms
  • biscuit

    British English term for the same food; in American English 'biscuit' refers to a soft savoury bread roll

  • cracker

    similar in shape but usually savoury and less sweet, often eaten with cheese

Grammar Patterns

cooky/cookie + modifier (chocolate chip / oatmeal)

Usage Note

The spelling 'cookie' is far more common in modern English; 'cooky' is an older variant. Both are pronounced the same way.

Common Mistakes

I ate a cooky for breakfast.
I ate a cookie for breakfast.
'cookie' is the standard modern spelling; 'cooky' is an older variant. Either is acceptable in writing, but learners should expect 'cookie' in most texts.
Pass me the cooky.' (without context)
Pass me a chocolate-chip cookie.
specify what kind of cookie for natural conversation.

2. a small text file that a website saves on a user's computer or phone in order to

2.nounB1
Definition

a small text file that a website saves on a user's computer or phone in order to remember information such as login details, language preferences, or pages the user has visited.

Example

The travel website asked Nadia to accept cookies so it could remember her preferred language.

verb collocation: accept cookies

Diego deleted his browser cookies after the shopping site kept recommending items he already owned.

verb collocation: delete cookies

Common collocations
  • accept cookies
  • block cookies
  • delete cookies
  • clear cookies
  • browser cookies
  • tracking cookies
  • session cookies
  • cookie policy

Grammar Patterns

accept / block / delete cookies

Usage Note

In computing, 'cookie' is almost always used in its standard spelling, even by writers who use 'cooky' for the food. The term is usually plural ('cookies') when referring to the general concept.

Common Mistakes

Clear your cache and cookies are the same thing.
Clearing your cache removes stored page files; clearing cookies removes login and preference data.
cache and cookies serve different purposes and should not be confused.

3. (informal) used with an adjective such as 'smart', 'tough', or 'clever' to descr

3.nounB2
Definition

(informal) used with an adjective such as 'smart', 'tough', or 'clever' to describe someone's character, especially when they are determined, clever, or unusual.

Example

Ananya is one smart cookie — she learned to speak three languages by the age of twelve.

pattern: smart cookie for clever person

You need to be a tough cookie to run a successful farm through harsh winters.

pattern: tough cookie for resilient person

Common collocations
  • smart cookie
  • tough cookie
  • clever cookie
  • sharp cookie
Synonyms
  • character

    similar informal noun for an unusual or interesting person, but does not need a preceding adjective

  • guy

    neutral informal word for a person, without the character-judging connotation of 'cookie'

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + cookie/cooky

Usage Note

This sense is always used with an adjective before 'cookie/cooky'. You cannot say 'He is a cookie' to mean 'He is a person'. The adjective is essential: 'a smart cookie', 'a tough cookie', 'a clever cookie'.

Common Mistakes

She is a cookie.' (alone, meaning a person)
She is a smart cookie.
the adjective modifier is required to convey the 'type of person' meaning.
He is a hard cookie.
He is a tough cookie.
'tough' is the conventional adjective in this fixed expression, not 'hard'.

4. (old-fashioned informal) a word used to describe a woman who is physically attra

4.noun
Definition

(old-fashioned informal) a word used to describe a woman who is physically attractive, but can be offensive because it reduces a woman to her appearance.

Example

Grandpa chuckled and said the new neighbour was "quite a cooky," and his daughter told him that expression was out of date.

quotation marks show dated slang use

Ling read a 1950s novel where a detective describes a witness as "a real cooky," which sounded strange to her.

Synonyms
  • babe

    also informal, but still in modern use; can be considered disrespectful depending on context

  • looker

    dated slang similar to 'cooky', used in the same mid-20th-century period

Grammar Patterns

quite a cooky

real cooky

Usage Note

This sense is very dated and can be offensive. It appeared mostly in mid-20th-century American slang. Modern speakers do not use this word to compliment someone's appearance.

Common Mistakes

She is a cooky.' (used as a modern compliment)
She is attractive.' or 'She is beautiful.
'cooky' in this sense is dated and may cause offence.

Word family

  • cookie
    nounA1
  • cookieless
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All four words can describe a person, but they differ in tone and grammar. 'Cookie' (always with an adjective: 'a smart cookie', 'a tough cookie') highlights a specific character trait — typically cleverness, resilience, or composure. 'Character' (used alone: 'He is quite a character') suggests someone amusing or unusual, with no compulsory modifier. 'Guy' is a neutral, all-purpose informal word for any person, and works in a wider range of situations. 'Individual' is more formal and carries no emotional colour. For example: 'Amir is a clever cookie who solved the logic puzzle in seconds' (praise for intelligence); 'Grandpa is a real character who tells funny stories' (eccentric but endearing); 'That guy at the counter helped me find the right size' (neutral reference); 'Each individual must show identification at the gate' (formal, impersonal).

cookie (informal person)character ↗guy ↗individual ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • spelling note: the variant 'cooky' exists but 'cookie' is the standard modern spelling

Etymology

DutchEnglish

The word 'cooky' (also spelled 'cookie') entered English from Dutch 'koekje', meaning 'little cake'. Dutch settlers brought the word to early America in the 1600s. The computing sense emerged in the 1990s when web developers needed a way for websites to remember user information, borrowing the familiar food word because the small data files reminded programmers of a 'magic cookie' — a concept from earlier computer programming where a token of data was passed between routines.