ox

1 of 2

noun

plural oxen ˈäk-sən How to pronounce ox (audio) also ox
1
: a domestic bovine mammal (Bos taurus)
broadly : a bovine mammal
a team of oxen
2
: an adult castrated male domestic ox

ox-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or oxo-
: oxygen
oxacillin

Examples of ox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Conjure a spectral ox to charge forward. Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025 The model has an open space at the front where food offerings, like bread, lettuce or an ox’s head, could be placed. Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 29 July 2025 Born and raised in Minnesota, Dahl’s been fishing all his life, but in recent years, he’s branched out from walleyes and bass to target more non-traditional species like bowfin, alligator gar, and bigmouth buffalo, a native sucker fish that looks like a carp and pulls like an ox. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2025 Every 12 years the Lunar New Year cycles through the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Bryan West, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ox

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English oxa; akin to Old High German ohso ox, Sanskrit ukṣā bull, and perhaps to Sanskrit ukṣati he moistens, Greek hygros wet — more at humor entry 1

Combining form

French, from oxygène

First Known Use

Noun

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

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

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Cite this Entry

“Ox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ox. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

ox

noun
plural oxen ˈäk-sən How to pronounce ox (audio) also ox
1
: a common large domesticated bovine mammal which is kept for milk, draft, and meat and of which the female is a cow and the male a bull
especially : an adult castrated male
2
: any various related bovine mammals (as the buffalo)

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