kale

noun

ˈkāl 

1

a

: a hardy cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) with curled often finely incised leaves that do not form a dense head

also : its leaves used as a vegetable

b

: cole

2

slang : money

Synonyms

• bread [slang]
• bucks
• cabbage [slang]
• cash
• change
• chips
• coin
• currency
• dough
• gold
• green
• jack [slang]
• legal tender
• lolly [British]
• long green [slang]
• loot
• lucre
• money
• moola [slang]
• moolah
• needful
• pelf
• scratch [slang]
• shekels
• sheqels
• shekelim
• shekalim
• sheqalim
• tender
• wampum

Examples of kale in a Sentence

trying to scrape up the kale to buy more dope

Recent Examples on the Web

Bourbon Balances Bitterness Hardy winter greens like collards, kale, and turnip greens have a subtle bitter flavor. —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024

Yet, today we are offered broccoli or worse yet, a kale salad. —Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2025

Known as the commissary, the kitchen is where all of Erewhon’s TikTok-famous hot bar and tonic bar menu items — buffalo cauliflower, coconut chicken tenders, kale salads and gluten-free coconut chaga brownies — are prepped before being delivered to its grocery stores around 5 every morning. —Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

A couple other stand-out dishes include the rosemary-potato pizzas with fresh mozzarella and mushrooms and the okonomiyaki with sesame kale chips. —Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Scots, from Middle English (northern) cal, from Old English cāl — more at cole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing kale

• sea kale

Kids Definition

kale

noun

ˈkā(ə)l 

: a hardy cabbage with curly leaves that do not form a head