noun

cookie

KUU-kee

noun

(chiefly US) A small, flat, sweet baked treat.

"He grabbed a chocolate chip cookie from the jar."

"The bakery sells oatmeal cookies for a dollar each."

(computing) A small piece of data a website stores on a visitor's device to remember information between visits.

"The site uses cookies to keep you logged in."

"She cleared her browser's cookies to stop the ads from following her."

How to Use Cookie

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the sweet baked snack (American English; British English usually says "biscuit") or the small tracking file websites save in your browser.

UK vs US

In the UK, "biscuit" is the everyday word — "cookie" there usually implies an American-style soft, chunky biscuit.

Common pairings

chocolate chip cookie cookie jar accept cookies clear cookies

Word Forms

cookied past tense, cookies plural, cookies plural, cookies singular

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Fill the Gap

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He grabbed a chocolate chip _____ from the jar.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch koekie, a diminutive of koek ("cake"), ultimately related to English "cake." It has no connection to the verb "cook." The computing sense comes from the older programming term "magic cookie," a chunk of data passed between programs.

Rhymes for cookie

pie die lie tie sie vie hie fie Mie Rie Xie Nie

See all rhymes for cookie →