molly
noun
any of certain livebearing freshwater fishes of the genus Poecilia (formerlyMollienisia ), popular in home aquariums.
molly
1 American
[mol-ee]
/ ˈmɒl i /
noun
-
mollies
plural
molly
2
American
[mol-ee]
/ ˈmɒl i /
noun
-
mollies
plural
molly
3
American
[mol-ee]
/ ˈmɒl i /
molly
4
American
[mol-ee myool]
/ ˈmɒl i ˌmjul /
noun
Molly
5
American
[mol-ee]
/ ˈmɒl i /
noun
molly
1
British
/ ˈmɒlɪ /
noun
molly
2
British
/ ˈmɒlɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of molly1
First recorded in 1930–35; shortened from New Latin Mollienisia, named after French statesman Count F. N. Mollien (1758–1850); see -ia
Origin of molly2
First recorded in 1930–35; formerly a trademark
Origin of molly3
First recorded in 1975–80; origin uncertain; perhaps a shortening of black molly, a tropical aquarium fish supposedly resembling the black pills; other authorities suggest it is a shortening and alteration of molecule ( def. )
Origin of molly4
First recorded in 1980–85; generic use of the proper name
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.
See Examples For:
Organisms like the salmon and molly that can tolerate a relatively wide range of salinity are referred to as euryhaline organisms.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
In the sulfur-infused ponds of Tabasco state in Mexico lives a tiny silver slip of a fish, the sulphur molly.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
Whereas kingfishers would plunge into the water to pursue a molly, kiskadees would only skim the water’s surface with their beak, sparking fewer waves in response.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 22, 2021
Merry, molly does not need to hector us, or point out her opinion every time.
From New York Times ● Dec. 13, 2016
Genie wanted to point it out to Grandpop, but Grandma had said not to mention it, and when Crab did mention it, he almost got molly whopped.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
"Molly Tea may be doing well in China, but it's nowhere near Louis Vuitton’s global profile... I think some people feel the lawsuit was inappropriate," she told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
According to Art of Play, it had explained to Clarkson that Molly was not for sale but “a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
The object at the center of the dispute was Molly, a mechanical yellow bird mounted on the store’s wall and used in its magic shows.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Molly Duane of Amplify Legal, the lawyer who is representing Walker’s estate, told me that she expects the doctors to blame the state and the state to blame the doctors.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
That was the gift Molly and she both lived with, the knowledge they had been given a second life when their first lives ended all those years ago.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
She just had some questions how to treat ich, an illness that had wiped out her mollies.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
Space is limited, so the sulfur mollies must get cozy—in some spots, there can be well more than 2,000 mollies per square meter.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 22, 2021
The mollies are prey for an array of winged predators, including egrets, kingfishers and kiskadees.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
Few other creatures can survive these conditions, so the mollies have no predators within the streams.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 22, 2021
“I turn my back for five minutes and everybody lets my black mollies die off. I should’ve taken them to college with me. I knew that.”
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
