ox

noun \ ˈäks \

Definition of ox

plural oxen play \ˈäk-sən\ also ox

1 :a domestic bovine mammal (Bos taurus); broadly :a bovine mammal

a team of oxen

2 :an adult castrated male domestic ox

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Recent Examples of ox from the Web

When Niulang, using the power of a magical ox hide, tried to follow her up there, Zhinü's mother tore the sky asunder to separate them — the rip created a Heavenly River of stars, otherwise known as The Milky Way.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Google Doodle Celebrates China's Qixi Festival," 28 Aug. 2017
Six years before colonists dumped tea in Boston Harbor to protest British tariffs, the royalist governor of North Carolina, William Tryon, tried to appease local militiamen by roasting a whole ox.

— patrik jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ambassadors of smoke," 2 July 2017
OX 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212 OX is an Argentinian-inspired spot near downtown that specializes in meat.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Portland, Oregon," 30 June 2017
OX 2225 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97212 OX is an Argentinian-inspired spot near downtown that specializes in meat.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Portland, Oregon," 30 June 2017
The story of the Diaz family goes back several decades, to the start of the Bracero Program in 1942 and the fateful purchase of an ox.

— tatiana sanchez, The Mercury News, "From farmworker fields to MIT: Gilroy family shares success story," 7 June 2017
At one beef party, an ox was slaughtered and the video was shared online.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "To protest against Modi, these Indians are cooking beef in public," 6 June 2017
Elk, wolves, reindeer, or musk oxen eat the dead grass underneath the snow by pushing the snow away with their horns, snouts, or hooves.

— National Geographic, "100 Practical Ways to Reverse Climate Change," 28 May 2017
Today, on the outskirts of town, peasants riding ox carts and dump trucks heading to Hpakant line up at candy-cane striped sawhorses wrapped in barbed wire.

— doug clark, New York Times, "In Myanmar, a Lake That Sustained Generations Feels Strains," 28 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ox.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ox

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

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Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

ox-

combining form

variants: or oxo-

Definition of ox-

:oxygen

oxacillin

Origin and Etymology of ox-

French, from oxygène

OX Defined for English Language Learners

ox

noun

Definition of ox for English Language Learners

: a bull that has had its sex organs removed
: a cow or bull

OX Defined for Kids

ox

noun \ ˈäks \

Definition of ox for Students

plural oxen \ˈäk-sən\ also ox

1 :a male or female of common domestic cattle or a closely related animal (as a yak)

2 :an adult castrated male ox used especially for hauling loads

Learn More about ox

See words that rhyme with ox Spanish Central: Translation of ox Nglish: Translation of ox for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ox for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ox

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