cookie jar
noun
plural cookie jars
1
: a lidded usually ceramic or glass container used to store cookies
2
a
: a household container used to store money
—often used figuratively to refer to a source of money, power, or other thing of value that one does not rightfully have access to
… we tend to proclaim our righteousness most loudly at the very moment when the hand that isn't crossing our heart and body may well be in the cookie jar.—
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn WarrenA young hacker who gets caught with his hand in the virtual cookie jar often finds he has grabbed something very hard to let go of.—Jean Guisnel
Jean Guisnel
b
: a fund of money set aside : rainy day fund
The biggest issue is an apparently big understatement of [the company's] past earnings. … In the worst case, there could have been a "cookie jar" of profits that could be used to hide big losses in the future. —David Henry
—usually used before another nounDavis doesn't pay much attention to net income, which managers can manipulate with amortization schedules, charge-offs and cookie jar accounts.—David K. Randall
David K. RandallExamples of cookie jar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And Bona, a second-year reserve, got caught too many times reaching in the cookie jar while defending Towns.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Back on Earth, Curiosity’s human controllers first tried to just shake the rock loose, like a parent trying to free a child with their hand stuck in the cookie jar, but that didn’t work.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 May 2026
Now this version is ready for the cookie jar, potluck, or tailgate.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
Douglas fir beams and a two-story, wood-burning, river-rock fireplace set the scene in the lobby, where guests can find coffee and a cookie jar filled with fresh-baked cookies throughout the day.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 2 May 2026
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Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Back on Earth, Curiosity’s human controllers first tried to just shake the rock loose, like a parent trying to free a child with their hand stuck in the cookie jar, but that didn’t work.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 May 2026
Now this version is ready for the cookie jar, potluck, or tailgate.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
Douglas fir beams and a two-story, wood-burning, river-rock fireplace set the scene in the lobby, where guests can find coffee and a cookie jar filled with fresh-baked cookies throughout the day.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cookie jar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cookie%20jar. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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