cash cow

noun

1
: a consistently profitable business, property, or product whose profits are used to finance a company's investments in other areas
2
: one regarded or exploited as a reliable source of money
a singer deemed a cash cow for the record label

Examples of cash cow in a Sentence

The football team was a cash cow for the university. The movie studio saw the actress as a cash cow.
Recent Examples on the Web Google, afraid to mess with its cash cow, initially took a more cautious approach. Katie Robertson, New York Times, 1 June 2024 And unlike most streaming rivals, Disney has a steady revenue stream from its theme parks—a cash cow for the business. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 30 May 2024 But Gorin turned the role into a surprise cash cow. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 29 May 2024 On Wednesday, Box CEO Aaron Levie joined the ranks of Nvidia cheerleaders by exalting the results of its cash cow data center business. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 23 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for cash cow 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cash cow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cash cow was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near cash cow

Cite this Entry

“Cash cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20cow. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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