kelly

[ kel-ee ]
See synonyms for kelly on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural kel·lies, kel·lys.Slang.
  1. a man's stiff hat, as a derby or straw skimmer.

Origin of kelly

1
First recorded in 1910–15; generic use of surname Kelly, taken as representative of a stage Irishman wearing such a derby

Words Nearby kelly

Other definitions for Kelly (2 of 2)

Kelly
[ kel-ee ]

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

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

  1. Eugene Cur·ran [kur-uhn, kuhr-], /ˈkɜr ən, ˈkʌr-/, "Gene", 1912–96, U.S. dancer, choreographer, actor, and director.

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

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

  4. Walt, 1913–73, U.S. cartoonist.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use kelly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Kelly

Kelly

/ (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

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

  2. game as Ned Kelly or as game as Ned Kelly See game 1 (def. 25)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012