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

Pecan Jacks also sells a few dairy-free and gluten-free flavors, and most stores offer boozy varieties of ice cream, like the bourbon pecan praline, available for customers 21 and older. —Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026

Farm to table refers to food sourced directly from local farms, ranches, dairies or producers, with fewer middlemen between growers and the people eating the food. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026

What farm to table actually means At its core, farm to table describes food sourced directly from local farms, ranches, dairies or producers, with fewer middlemen between growers and consumers. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 22 May 2026

Greek Yogurt Try replacing milk or other dairy products in your breakfast smoothie with Greek yogurt to pack a bigger protein punch. —Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 19 May 2026

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