SINCE 1828
milk
noun
\ ˈmilk
\
\
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
verb
milked;
milking;
milks
Definition of milk (Entry 2 of 4)
1a(1)
: to draw milk from the breasts or udder of
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
\ ˈmilk
\
\
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
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Synonyms for milk
Synonyms: Verb
abuse, capitalize (on), cash in (on), exploit, impose (on or upon), leverage, pimp, play (on or upon), use, work
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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
Larger dairies produce more milk at a greater scale. — Jesse Newman And Patrick Mcgroarty, WSJ, "Farms, More Productive Than Ever, Are Poisoning Drinking Water in Rural America," 18 Jan. 2019 Big data and cows Robotic milkers can harvest milk without human involvement. — Smithsonian, "This Connecticut Farm Is Milking Cows for Data," 11 July 2018 Frozen Gold New Smyrna Beach, Florida Look, hipster places that source milk from cows that only listen to the National and other underground bands have their place. — Ac Shilton, Outside Online, "The Best Ice Cream in the U.S.," 5 July 2018 More than just cute pets, these critters provide milk for in-house cheese-making. — Lindsay Cohn, USA TODAY, "Agriturismo, American style: 8 farm and food experiences in the USA," 15 June 2018 There was a paper on lactose tolerance in Europeans and that turned into this weird viral YouTube trend where white nationalists were chugging bottles of milk, presumably to flaunt their European heritage. — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, "‘It’s a toxic place.’ How the online world of white nationalists distorts population genetics," 22 May 2018 Clotted cream, sometimes called Devonshire cream, is full cow's milk that's heated and cooled so the cream rises to the top and clots. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Recipe: Royal wedding scones ready in less than an hour," 18 May 2018 Muesli is just raw oats, sometimes with nuts or dried fruit or seeds, always topped with something wet like milk or yogurt. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "How to Eat Oatmeal Every Day Without Getting Sick of It," 4 Jan. 2019 All the door heights were raised to the same level, mantels were stripped of excess molding, and the wide plank floors were painted the color of fresh milk. — Kathleen Renda, House Beautiful, "How Liliane Hart Brought Hygge To The Hamptons," 13 Dec. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The shoot went unexpectedly (really? seemed like a sure thing to us!) viral with more than 70,000 shares to date, so the two friends decided to milk all the cuteness for a good cause. — Saryn Chorney, PEOPLE.com, "Woman's Gender Reveal Trick Photo Shoot Surprises with Something Even Sweeter: New Puppy Pictures!," 24 May 2018 As a child, Nunes milked cows and won a Future Farmers of America junior grand champion title with a Holstein named Gem. — Jason Zengerle, New York Times, "How Devin Nunes Turned the House Intelligence Committee Inside Out," 24 Apr. 2018 His slower tempo makes a huge difference, allowing the singer to milk the story for all its melancholy emotion. — WSJ, "He Sang One for the Ages," 2 Nov. 2018 With the potential advantages of Daylight Saving Time eroded, critics have argued that changing time twice a year hurts worker productivity and confuses farm animals like cows, who are accustomed to be milked at a certain time. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "EU Commission President supports ending seasonal time changes," 31 Aug. 2018 That and the backbreaking, unceasing nature of farm work — the rituals of the rural year from planting seeds to milking cows and harvesting wheat. — Kenneth Turan, latimes.com, "Intimate epic 'The Guardians' distills how war changes everything for a French family," 10 May 2018 For the more adventurous travelers, the Bold Coast offers more than scenery with firsthand cultural experiences like clam digging and goat milking to make cheese. — Lydia Culp, Fox News, "Best US road trips," 2 Apr. 2018 Berlusconi is clearly relishing the prospect of being a potential kingmaker and milking a role as a familiar face to reassure European Union partners. — Washington Post, "New faces and old hands battle it out in Italy’s election," 3 Mar. 2018 Supporters have milked a lot of free publicity for their cause with a clever marketing campaign. — Brian Blackstone, WSJ, "Should Cows Have Horns? Switzerland Will Decide," 23 Nov. 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.
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Learn More about milk
Statistics for milk
Last Updated
14 Apr 2019
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for milk
The first known use of milk was before the 12th century
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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
\ ˈmilk
\
\
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
verb
milked;
milking
Kids Definition of milk (Entry 2 of 2)
: to draw milk from (as by pressing)
milk a cow
milk
noun
\ ˈmilk
\
\
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
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Comments on milk
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