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

The Rockville case on Sunday caused a stir on social media and brought to mind the childhood song: Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2023

“Will Tweedy!” she exclaimed, the way a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar might say “Mama!”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns