as in exploited
to take unfair advantage of
unscrupulous people trying to milk the welfare system for all it's worth
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Recent Examples of milked
As part of the annual rookie luncheon, the American Dairy Association — which also supplies the traditional winner’s bottle of milk for post-race celebration consumption — brings a cow to be milked by the debutants.
—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
But elsewhere, the film’s sporadic, accidental humor comes to its rescue — a scene involving a cow that clearly doesn’t want to be milked especially comes to mind.
—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Growing up on a farm in Wabasha, Minnesota, one of 18 children, Bea milked cows and attended a one-room schoolhouse during the great depression.
—
Irene Gonzalez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Netflix has milked so much out of that now-instantly recognizable sound.
—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
Monster has, itself, been the target of criticism from people like the Menendezes and the families of Dahmer’s victims, who feel their traumas have been milked for sensation rather than sublimated into high art.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
That’s when cows need to be milked next; if no one’s there, a cow could start to leak milk, to develop an infection.
—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Host Jimmy Kimmel milked the moment, delaying confirming that their answer was correct for a very tense minute.
—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
Games don’t feel milked, overanalyzed, or — as can often be the case with Generation Kickstarter — overtly romanticized.
—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
But elsewhere, the film’s sporadic, accidental humor comes to its rescue — a scene involving a cow that clearly doesn’t want to be milked especially comes to mind.
—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Growing up on a farm in Wabasha, Minnesota, one of 18 children, Bea milked cows and attended a one-room schoolhouse during the great depression.
—
Irene Gonzalez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Netflix has milked so much out of that now-instantly recognizable sound.
—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Nov. 2025
Monster has, itself, been the target of criticism from people like the Menendezes and the families of Dahmer’s victims, who feel their traumas have been milked for sensation rather than sublimated into high art.
—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
That’s when cows need to be milked next; if no one’s there, a cow could start to leak milk, to develop an infection.
—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
Host Jimmy Kimmel milked the moment, delaying confirming that their answer was correct for a very tense minute.
—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
Games don’t feel milked, overanalyzed, or — as can often be the case with Generation Kickstarter — overtly romanticized.
—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for milked
Verb
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The book is often about the ways in which wellness and self-care have become commodified and exploited — having to level up to buy things in order to feel good.
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Given Iran’s belief that they were exploited by colonial powers, Tehran sees this program as essential to its national identity and to achieving independence from foreign influence.
Verb
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Since the launch of LineShine, the supercomputer has been used for applications ranging from climate modeling and engineering simulations to drug discovery, neuroscience and AI, the center said.
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The newer techniques, and the ones being used by the better clinics in Turkey, are FUE and DHI.
Verb
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Many of the children were being abused by adults, according to court records.
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At the time of the first reports, it was indicated that Pitt abused not only Jolie but also some of the older kids.
Verb
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The company made some concessions in terms of features, IO and quality, leveraged some older, previous-generation silicon, and built a more affordable MacBook.
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The agency has provided medical and operational support for the repatriation of Americans potentially exposed to hantavirus and has leveraged its network of Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers to provide specialized care when needed.
Verb
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In April 2026, the New England Journal of Medicine retracted a paper after discovering that a clinical image had been manipulated with AI.
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Predictive markets, like sports betting, can be manipulated.
Cite this Entry
“Milked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milked. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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