cookie jar

American  

noun

1. a jar or other container for storing cookies.

2. such a container used for storing money.

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idioms

1. have one's hand in the cookie jar, to take or attempt to take advantage of one's position by demanding or accepting favors or bribes.

   They suspected the mayor's assistant had his hand in the cookie jar.

Etymology

Origin of cookie jar

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

“It was like someone was stealing money from the cookie jar and they kept refilling it.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

It’s sort of like a cookie jar — the bigger it is, the more cookies it can store.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2023

"Sure enough, Genius caught Google with its hand in the cookie jar: The 'RED HANDED' message soon began to appear in the lyrics in Google's information boxes," Genius told the justices.

From Reuters • Jun. 26, 2023

“They finally got busted with their hands in the cookie jar, and now they’re going to have to pay.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2022

A cookie jar once owned by Andy Warhol is a rare collectible.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner