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• kelly
  kelly

  noun

  a man's stiff hat, as a derby or straw skimmer.
• Kelly
  Kelly

  noun

  Ellsworth, 1923–2015, U.S. painter and sculptor.

kelly

¹ American  

[kel-ee] / ˈkɛl i /

noun

Slang.

• kellies,
  plural
• kellys
  plural

1. a man's stiff hat, as a derby or straw skimmer.

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Kelly ² American  

[kel-ee] / ˈkɛl i /

noun

1. Ellsworth, 1923–2015, U.S. painter and sculptor.

2. Emmett (Leo), 1898–1979, U.S. circus clown and pantomimist.

3. Eugene Curran Gene, 1912–96, U.S. dancer, choreographer, actor, and director.

4. George (Edward), 1887–1974, U.S. playwright and actor.

5. Grace Patricia Princess Grace of Monaco, 1929–82, U.S. actress: married Prince Rainier III of Monaco 1956.

6. Walt, 1913–73, U.S. cartoonist.

7. Also Kellie. a male or female given name.

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Kelly British  

/ ˈkɛlɪ /

noun

1. Gene, full name Eugene Curran Kelly. 1912–96, US dancer, choreographer, film actor, and director. His many films include An American in Paris (1951) and Singin' in the Rain (1952)

2. Grace. 1929–82, US film actress. Her films included High Noon (1952) and High Society (1956). She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956 and died following a car crash

3. Ned. 1855–80, Australian horse and cattle thief and bushranger, active in Victoria: captured by the police and hanged

4. See game 1

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kellies
  plural
• kellys
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of kelly

First recorded in 1910–15; generic use of surname Kelly, taken as representative of a stage Irishman wearing such a derby

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kelly Kelly kellies

“Hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you or why you don’t own a kelly bag,” he wrote.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026

The Eagles will wear their throwback kelly green jerseys for the second time this season.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2023

With the A’s wearing kelly green jerseys for a rare road game, he allowed three runs, struck out seven and walked one.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2021

Rangy and schoolgirlish in a black top, kelly green varsity jacket, plaid pleated skirt, Nike sneakers and Marc Jacobs nylon bag, Tsai’s wholesomeness belied her self-assuredness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2018

The leaves on the trees, spring new and kelly green, hung limp.

From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi

It’s a familiar teenage moment that arrives early in “Mouse,” the third collaboration from filmmaking partners Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

This year that title was awarded to Paris Baby, who created more than her fair share of drama across the series, in particular her spats with Staffordshire queen KY Kelly.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Kelly Hubbell, the founder and CEO of house-manager placement company Sage Haus, said her company has gathered a database of over 25,000 workers searching for this kind of gig.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

But Mr. Kelly goes fishing now, takes 38 pills a day and plays with his “grandbabies.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

I also discovered that he had represented Karen Kelly in a prior proceeding, which told me that he was already familiar with the case.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

For catching "kellies" or "killies," bait the trap with crushed clams or salt-water mussels and for fresh water shiners use mincemeat or bread crumbs and do not spill any bait outside of the trap.

From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.

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