milk
noun
\
Definition of milk
(Entry 1 of 4)
1a : a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of females for the nourishment of their young
b(1) : milk from an animal and especially a cow used as food by people
(2) : a food product produced from seeds or fruit that resembles and is used similarly to cow's milk coconut milk soy milk
2 : a liquid resembling milk in appearance: such as
a : the latex of a plant
b : the contents of an unripe kernel of grain
3 : lactation cows in milk
milk
verbDefinition of milk (Entry 2 of 4)
1a(1) : to draw milk from the breasts or udder of
(2) obsolete : suckle sense 2
b : to draw (milk) from the breast or udder
c : suckle sense 1 —used of domestic animals
: to draw or yield milk
milk
adjectiveDefinition of milk (Entry 3 of 4)
: giving milk specifically : bred or suitable primarily for milk production milk cows
Milk
geographical name
\
Definition of Milk (Entry 4 of 4)
river 625 miles (1006 kilometers) long in the Canadian province of Alberta and the U.S. state of Montana; flows southeast into the Missouri River
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for milk
Synonyms: Verb
abuse, capitalize (on), cash in (on), exploit, impose (on or upon), leverage, play (on or upon), use, work
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of milk in a Sentence
Noun
cheese made from sheep's milk a glass of low-fat milkVerb
greedy landlords milking their tenants of all their money unscrupulous people trying to milk the welfare system for all it's worth
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The World Health Organization resolution stated that breast milk is the healthiest choice for babies and encouraged countries to crack down on misleading claims from purveyors of formula. — Rebecca Beitsch, The Christian Science Monitor, "All US states now allow breastfeeding in public," 13 July 2018 The stance has puzzled many health experts, as decades of research has shown that breast milk is the healthiest option for babies overall. — Ashley Welch, CBS News, "Why breastfeeding is the "gold standard" for babies' health," 10 July 2018 Women who are targeted with aggressive advertising from formula companies need better nutrition and breastfeeding support—not increased access to an expensive breast-milk substitute. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, "Donald Trump Tweets About Breastfeeding—But Misses the Whole Point," 10 July 2018 About half of all American babies receive breast milk at 6 months, but only about 20 percent are exclusively breastfeed. — Jen Gann, The Cut, "Trump Would Love to Declare a Mommy War," 10 July 2018 Photo: Jesse Newman/The Wall Street Journal Dairy farmers have been banking on sales abroad to help absorb increasing milk supplies that have pushed down prices. — Jesse Newman, WSJ, "Trade Fight Threatens Farm Belt Businesses," 2 July 2018 Starting in infancy, mothers who are breastfeeding should continue to vary their diet, the flavors of which are transferred through her milk supply. — Ashleigh Spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Picky, picky: Strategies to get your kids (or yourself) to try new foods," 11 June 2018 Chemical sunscreens Many chemical sunscreens get absorbed in the body and show up in urine and breast milk. — Dr. Leslie Baumann, miamiherald, "What you need to know about 'hazardous' sunscreen ingredients | Miami Herald," 27 Apr. 2018 The baby even intervenes, in absentia, on Margo’s one night out on the town, when Margo leaks breast milk during a visit to a punk club. — Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Charlize Theron jokes around, discusses career and new film ‘Tully’ at SFFilm Festival," 9 Apr. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Adults and kids of all ages can take part in an array of activities, from milking cows and bottle-feeding calves to fly fishing and hiking. — Lindsay Cohn, USA TODAY, "Agriturismo, American style: 8 farm and food experiences in the USA," 15 June 2018 Kim has milked this coming-out party for maximum impact back home, where Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North Korean Workers’ Party, devoted its entire front page to adoring coverage of Kim’s day on the global stage. — Noah Bierman, latimes.com, "A reporter's chance to shout questions at a dictator and witness history," 12 June 2018 Lyft’s biggest competitor was Uber, a bigger company that had preceded it in the business of shaking up the taxi cartels that milked monopoly status in most municipalities. — Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "Fly On, My Sleek Electric Bird," 30 May 2018 Using a four corners offense that would’ve made John McClendon and Dean Smith smile, the Senators milked the clock and tied a bow around their seventh straight conference victory with nine fourth-quarter free throws. — Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati.com, "Taft takes control of CMAC with 61-39 win over Hughes," 2 Feb. 2018 Also look for a bean spitting contest at noon Aug. 4, Hot Wheels racing for all ages at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 5 and a goat milking contest at 5 p.m. Aug. 9. — Annie Alleman, Post-Tribune, "Step right up to Northwest Indiana county fairs," 28 June 2018 The $100 million the company made was milked from Medicare and private insurers, prosecutors said. — Jared Gilmour, miamiherald, "Patients got needless blood work. Their doctors got sex, cars and strippers, N.J. prosecutors say," 13 June 2018 That amount could produce around 10,000 liters a day, or about 6 liters per milking camel. — Rebecca Keenan, Bloomberg.com, "The World Wants More Camel Milk. Australia Can Help," 23 May 2018 The next day, there's one of the staff milking Bibi. — Carol Motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "It's Fiona the hippo's birthday. She's already had a remarkable life.," 18 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018 Some of the farm groups cite Canada’s dairy system as an example of how milk supply management, coupled with price controls, has kept small farms in business. — Rick Barrett, USA TODAY, "America's Dairyland reels as low milk prices destroy family farms," 1 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'milk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about milk
Phrases Related to milk
Statistics for milk
Last Updated
1 Sep 2018
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for milk
The first known use of milk was before the 12th century
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for milk
milk
noun
English Language Learners Definition of milk
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a white liquid produced by a woman to feed her baby or by female animals to feed their young; especially : milk from cows or goats that is used as food by people
: a white liquid produced by a plant
milk
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of milk (Entry 2 of 2)
: to get milk from (an animal)
: to use (something or someone) in a way that helps you unfairly
See the full definition for milk in the English Language Learners Dictionary
milk
noun
\
Kids Definition of milk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a whitish liquid produced and given off by the breasts or udder of a female mammal as food for her young
2 : milk from an animal and especially a cow used as food by people
3 : a liquid that looks like milk coconut milk
milk
verbKids Definition of milk (Entry 2 of 2)
: to draw milk from (as by pressing) milk a cow
milk
noun
\
Medical Definition of milk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of females for the nourishment of their young
b(1) : milk from an animal and especially a cow used as food by people
(2) : a food product produced from seeds or fruit that resembles and is used similarly to cow's milk coconut milk soy milk
2 : lactation sense 2 cows in milk
milk
transitive verbMedical Definition of milk (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : to draw milk from the breasts or udder of
b : to draw (milk) from the breast or udder
2 : to induce (a snake) to eject venom
: to draw or yield milk
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on milk
What made you want to look up milk? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Food Quiz
-
- Name these cookies!
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share milk
Resources for milk