cooky

IPA/kˈʊki/
IPA/kˈʊki/

cooky — noun

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

1.名詞A1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

cooky/cookie + modifier (chocolate chip / oatmeal)

用法筆記

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

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B1
釋義

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.

例句

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

文法句型

accept / block / delete cookies

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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'

文法句型

[adjective] + cookie/cooky

用法筆記

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'.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞
釋義

(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.

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

quite a cooky

real cooky

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.