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:
Morris and molly dancers accompanied by musicians joined the parade through the town as people lined the streets.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024
I founded molly moon’s with the mission of making the world a better place, one scoop at a time.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023
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
To learn more about the enigmatic behavior, Lukas, Krause and their colleagues braved harsh conditions to observe the sulfur molly waves up close.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 22, 2021
A few days after molly arrives at Vivian’s, she texts Ralph to let him know where she is.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
"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
Molly still hung on the wall at the shop, this time next to a price tag of $15m.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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
His heart was racing as well, and she thought of what Molly had told her, that she was certain Boaz was lying to her.
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
They quickly noticed that they were not the only ones looking at the mollies.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 22, 2021
Kingfishers, for instance, cannonball into the water and provoke the mollies into flashing nearly every time.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
Jens Krause, a fish biologist at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, and colleagues came to streams near Teapa, Mexico, to study an entrancing behavior of the mollies.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 22, 2021
“All my black mollies are dying off,” he said.
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.
