Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

cully

American  
[kuhl-ee] / ˈkʌl i /

noun

cullies plural
  1. Archaic. a dupe.

  2. Slang. fellow; companion.


verb (used with object)

cullied, cullying
  1. to trick; cheat; dupe.

cully British  
/ ˈkʌlɪ /

noun

  1. slang pal; mate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of cully

First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps shortening of cullion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I s'pose it was part my fault, cully.

From Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle, or, Fun and Adventures on the Road by Appleton, Victor [pseud.]

An expression among impures, signifying the cully who pays, in opposition to a flash man.

From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Grose, Francis

But the single word which survives in the family recollection is a dissyllable, the word for milk, which was cully.

From The Child and Childhood in Folk-Thought Studies of the Activities and Influences of the Child Among Primitive Peoples, Their Analogues and Survivals in the Civilization of To-Day by Chamberlain, Alexander F.

Yet surely, although Shaftesbury was ridiculous for aiming at gallantry, from which his age and personal infirmity should have deterred him, Dryden would never have drawn the witty, artful politician, as a silly, henpecked cully.

From The Dramatic Works of John Dryden, Volume 1 With a Life of the Author by Saintsbury, George

Nothing is more thrilling, thought he, than to be treated as a cully by the person you hold in the hollow of your hand.

From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Beerbohm, Max, Sir

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "cully" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com