cow

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: the mature female of cattle (genus Bos)
b
: the mature female of various usually large animals (such as an elephant, whale, or moose)
2
: a domestic bovine animal regardless of sex or age
3
chiefly British, informal : a woman who is stupid or annoying
Liesel was on such a high that she felt indestructible. "I said," she beamed, "stupid cow," and she didn't have to wait a single moment for the teacher's hand to slap her.Markus Zusak
cowy adjective

Illustration of cow

Illustration of cow
  • 1 hoof
  • 2 pastern
  • 3 dewclaw
  • 4 switch
  • 5 hock
  • 6 rear udder
  • 7 flank
  • 8 thigh
  • 9 tail
  • 10 pinbone
  • 11 tail head
  • 12 thurl
  • 13 hip
  • 14 barrel
  • 15 ribs
  • 16 crops
  • 17 withers
  • 18 heart girth
  • 19 neck
  • 20 horn
  • 21 poll
  • 22 forehead
  • 23 bridge of nose
  • 24 muzzle
  • 25 jaw
  • 26 throat
  • 27 point of shoulder
  • 28 dewlap
  • 29 point of elbow
  • 30 brisket
  • 31 chest floor
  • 32 knee
  • 33 milk well
  • 34 milk vein
  • 35 fore udder
  • 36 teats
  • 37 rump
  • 38 loin

cow

2 of 2

verb

cowed; cowing; cows

transitive verb

: to destroy the resolve or courage of
also : to bring to a state or an action by intimidation
used with into
… like too many Asian armies, adept at cowing a population into feeding them … Edward Lansdale
cowedly adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for cow

intimidate, cow, bulldoze, bully, browbeat mean to frighten into submission.

intimidate implies inducing fear or a sense of inferiority into another.

intimidated by so many other bright freshmen

cow implies reduction to a state where the spirit is broken or all courage is lost.

not at all cowed by the odds against making it in show business

bulldoze implies an intimidating or an overcoming of resistance usually by urgings, demands, or threats.

bulldozed the city council into approving the plan

bully implies intimidation through threats, insults, or aggressive behavior.

bullied into giving up their lunch money

browbeat implies a cowing through arrogant, scornful, or contemptuous treatment.

browbeat the witness into a contradiction

Examples of cow in a Sentence

Noun The cows need to be milked twice a day. Verb I refuse to be cowed by their threats. a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
According to their owner, Little Buckets Farm Sanctuary founder Susan Klingenberg, the two pals grew up together and still love to play together and groom each other, even though the cow is now over 1,000 pounds larger than her canine buddy. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2023 The Illinois State Fair’s butter cow is back in all its creamy glory. Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 What the clean cow is to clean coal, clean meat is to renewables like solar. Jan Dutkiewicz, Wired, 27 Nov. 2021 Huffman’s bell cow is RB Makhi Hughes with 599 yards and 10 TDs on 55 carries. Dennis Victory, al, 7 Sep. 2021 But mercifully, each year there’s this monthlong break when the roof cow is naked and the potholders are undecorated. Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Sep. 2021 The cow was hungry and was munching eagerly on a bale of hay. Rick Kogan, chicagotribune.com, 7 Sep. 2021 The donkeys — Eeyore, Shrek and Fiona — were a bit harder to persuade, and the littlest cow was terrified. Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2021 Subsistence and sport hunters, guides and conservationists in the group suggested reducing the harvest for resident subsistence hunters from five animals a day to four animals per year, just one of which could be a cow. Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Jan. 2023
Verb
The opposition is cowed, suppressed and scattered; fewer Russians are willing to risk taking to the streets than in years past. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 The most galvanic ingredient was her attitude, her seemingly natural disregard for the norms that effectively cowed everyone else, including the people who enforced them. Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 Musk, a fierce proponent of free speech, has refused to cow to concern from advertisers about how X will prevent their messages from reportedly appearing beside Nazi propaganda, for example. Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 2 Jan. 2024 The man in Taylor’s painting looked slightly cowed but on the cusp of saying something important. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 Throughout history, humans have gazed upward and been cowed by the sheer vastness of the universe. Simon Henriques, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2023 Often cowed by the prospect of facing off against corporations with endless resources, the IRS set out to be bolder and more aggressive. Paul Kiel, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023 Read up and pay attention Don’t be cowed by the criminals’ incessant attempts – or be overconfident. Michael Laris, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023 Róisín subsequently apologized for her remarks, cowed into disowning them, no doubt pressured to do so by all the people with a financial stake in her new album succeeding. Bob Guccione Jr, Spin, 20 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word '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

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cou, from Old English ; akin to Old High German kuo cow, Latin bos head of cattle, Greek bous, Sanskrit go

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish kue to subdue

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cow

Cite this Entry

“Cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cow. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cow

1 of 2 noun
1
: the adult female of cattle or of any of various usually large animals (as elephants, whales, or seals)
2
: any domestic bovine animal regardless of sex or age

cow

2 of 2 verb
: to lessen the spirits or courage of : frighten
were cowed into silence by threats
Etymology

Noun

Old English "cow"

Verb

probably of Scandinavian origin

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