dairy

noun

ˈder-ē 

plural dairies

often attributive

1

: a room, building, or establishment where milk is kept and butter or cheese is made

2

a

: the department of farming or of a farm that is concerned with the production of milk, butter, and cheese

b

: a farm devoted to such production

3

: an establishment for the sale or distribution chiefly of milk and milk products

4

: milk from a cow or other domestic animal (such as a goat)

also : food (such as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) made primarily of or from milk

dairy adjective

dairy products

Examples of dairy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Milk and dairy may relieve heartburn in some people, but the evidence is not strong. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 9 Nov. 2025

In the San Diego metro area, meat was 41% higher last month than in October 2019, dairy was 27% higher and produce was 18% higher, according to a grocery price index by Datasembly, a market analytics company that tracks prices of 1,000 products weekly across the United States. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025

The addition of a professional rodeo and dairy cow competition made 1949 particularly significant. —Patrick Salland, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025

The photographer tried to get the hospitality and lifestyle maven to buy the dairy cow after the shoot. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deierie, dayerye, borrowed from Anglo-French deyerie, daerie, from Middle English deie, daie "woman in charge of milking and making butter and cheese" (going back to Old English dǣge "female baker, female servant," going back to Germanic *daigjōn—whence also Old Norse deigja "female servant"— derivative of *daiga- dough) + Anglo-French -erie -ery (after botelerie "wine cellar," paneterie "bread shop, pantry")

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dairy

• dairy cattle

Rhymes for dairy

• aerie
• airy
• arie
• barre
• cherry
• clary
• eyrie
• faerie
• faery
• fairy
• ferry
• hairy

Kids Definition

dairy

noun

ˈde(ə)r-ē 

da(ə)r-

plural dairies

1

: a place where milk is kept and butter or cheese is made

2

: a farm devoted to the production of milk

3

: a company that sells milk and milk products

4

: milk from a cow or other domestic animal (as a goat)

also : food (as ice cream, cheese, or yogurt) made primarily of or from milk