cookie

American  

[kook-ee] / ˈkʊk i /

Sometimes cooky

noun

cookies plural

1. a small, usually round and flat cake, the size of an individual portion, made from stiff, sweetened dough, and baked.

2. Informal. dear; sweetheart (a term of address, usually connoting affection).

3. Slang.

   1. a person, usually of a specified character or type.

      a smart cookie;

      a tough cookie.

   2. an alluring young woman.

4. Also called browser cookie.  Also called http cookie;.  Digital Technology. a file or segment of data that identifies a unique user over time and across interactions with a website, sent by the web server through a browser, stored on a user’s hard drive, and sent back to the server each time the browser requests a web page.

   Your browser will run more efficiently after you clear the cache and cookies.

5. South Atlantic States (chiefly North Carolina). a doughnut.

6. Scot. a bun.

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verb (used with object)

cookied, cookieing, cookying

1. Digital Technology. to assign a cookie or cookies to (a website user).

   I'm not really comfortable being cookied all the time.

idioms

1. toss / spill one's cookies, to vomit.

cookie British  

/ ˈkʊkɪ /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): biscuit.  a small flat dry sweet or plain cake of many varieties, baked from a dough

2. a Scot word for bun

3. informal a person

   smart cookie

4. computing a piece of data downloaded to a computer by a website, containing details of the preferences of that computer's user which identify the user when revisiting that website

5. informal matters are inevitably or unalterably so

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cookie Scientific  

/ kk′ē /

1. A collection of information, usually including a username and the current date and time, stored on the local computer of a person using the World Wide Web, used chiefly by websites to identify users who have previously registered or visited the site. Cookies are used to relate one computer transaction to a later one.

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cookie More Idioms  

1. see hand in the till (cookie jar); that's how the ball bounces (cookie crumbles); toss one's cookies.

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Etymology

Origin of cookie

First recorded in 1750–55; from Dutch koekie, dialectal variant of koekje, equivalent to koek “biscuit, cake” + -je diminutive suffix; see origin at cake

Explanation

A cookie is a round, sweet baked good that's often eaten with a glass of milk. You might bake three dozen cookies to sell at your swim team's bake sale. In Britain, it's a biscuit, and in the US it's a cookie. In both cases, it's a small cake that's baked on a cookie sheet. Your favorite cookies might be chocolate chip — or maybe you're more of an oatmeal raisin cookie type. When you see cookie in the context of computers, it means a bit of data that's sent from a website to your browser. This type of cookie helps your computer remember passwords and web pages it's visited.

Example Sentences

“That’s just the way the cookie crumbles,” said Ed Al-Hussainy, portfolio manager and global rates strategist at Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

I joined the line—and was rewarded with a croissant-like coil laced with a spread made with green chiles and crushed peanuts, and a sourdough rye cookie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The 32-year-old Michigan native is a "tough cookie", according to Itauma, never been stopped, losing only to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua on points.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé also makes hot chocolate and cookie dough, and has stakes in popular brands including Cheerios and Häagen-Dazs.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Livingston took out the other cookie and held it like a Frisbee.

From "Wolfie & Fly" by Cary Fagan

Related Words

• biscuit
• wafer