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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

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kelly Kelly kellies

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

From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2023

Watering adjustments It is not uncommon for my kitchen sink or bathtub to be filled to the brim with a clash of sage, chartreuse and kelly green leaves.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2022

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

I even made it with a bag of “Ugly Greens” castaways from a local supplier and they bloomed to a gorgeous bright kelly green in the hot broth—just the makeover they needed.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2018

A plain, timid girl painted her toenails kelly green.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

Kelly Mitchell and her husband, Craig, both work full time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

“We’re always forecasting across our operations, and we regularly produce and revise numerous versions of planning documents,” Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson, said in a statement.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Durkan said the Kelly family had only become aware of Anderson's "pending release when the release had actually happened".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Kelly Osbourne and her older sister, Aimee Osbourne, do not have a relationship, and there is “no hope” for reconciliation, the “Osbournes” star revealed on Tuesday’s episode of “We Need To Talk” podcast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Then Kelly would say, “Your story is kinda like that. Since you had to escape with your mother from an angry king.”

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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.

Related Words

• blue-green
• olive