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• moll
  moll

  noun

  gun moll.
• Moll
  Moll

  noun

  a female given name.

moll

¹ American  

[mol] / mɒl /

noun

Slang.

1. gun moll.

2. Archaic. a prostitute.

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moll ² American  

[mawl] / mɔl /

adjective

German.

1. (in music) written in a minor key; minor.

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Moll ³ American  

[mol] / mɒl /

noun

1. a female given name.

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moll British  

/ mɒl /

noun

1. the female accomplice of a gangster

2. a prostitute

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Etymology

Origin of moll

Special use of Moll

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Explanation

A woman who's the companion or conspirator to a gangster can be called a moll. One of the most famous molls was Bonnie Parker, of the criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. The informal moll has most often been used for the romantic partners of 1920s and 30s mobsters, like Al Capone's wife Mae or George "Baby Face" Nelson's girlfriend Helen. These supportive women were also called "gun molls," not named after the weapon, but for gonif, the Yiddish word for "thief." Moll is a shortened form of the name Molly, long a synonym for "woman of ill repute," for unknown reasons.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moll Moll

She was an enabler, the classic gangster’s moll.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

Then, like a gun moll, the Queen Mother orders a martini.

From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2023

It recalls "Dick Tracy" too in the "mob moll," which is, on one level, a lot of what Catwoman is.

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2022

Everyone in the novel seems intent on wearing middle sister down, jamming her into a mold that makes more sense to the community—I.R.A. moll, adulterous hussy—than does a girl who reads while she walks.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 3, 2018

When a heron rose out of the brook 'a moll ern flod away.'

From Round About a Great Estate by Richard Jefferies

Written records in the moment are critical, Moll said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Lore Van Moll, 33, a Belgian woman visiting her parents in nearby Alfaix, said she felt fortunate that she was unharmed and that her family’s home had been spared.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Moll has made the kind of sinewy procedural that makes your palms sweat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2025

Andrew Moll OBE, chief inspector of marine accidents, said: "On the day no-one recognised the implications of carrying vulnerable people who were strapped into heavy motorised wheelchairs around a lake in an open boat."

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2024

“Really, Moll? ” he says with a sigh, turning the ignition key.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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