as in exploiting
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 milking
Potter said companies across the travel industry are seeing the same trend – and milking it.
—
Zach Wichter, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Simon has been milking for forty-eight years.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Justin Trudeau’s eldest son, an aspiring musician, is milking his dad’s relationship with Katy Perry for his own art.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
And Ainesworth threw cold water on the notion that firefighters are milking the workers’ compensation system.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
In 1964, the company started milking cows in Moore Haven in Glades County.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Bribing officials, milking national economies, and cozying up to corrupt politicians and dictators have long been essential features of the enterprise.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Veyron production may have ended, but Bugatti is still milking the idea.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Four plays later, with just over two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks ran a pass play instead of just running the ball and milking the clock.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Zach Wichter, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Simon has been milking for forty-eight years.
—Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Justin Trudeau’s eldest son, an aspiring musician, is milking his dad’s relationship with Katy Perry for his own art.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
And Ainesworth threw cold water on the notion that firefighters are milking the workers’ compensation system.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
In 1964, the company started milking cows in Moore Haven in Glades County.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Bribing officials, milking national economies, and cozying up to corrupt politicians and dictators have long been essential features of the enterprise.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Veyron production may have ended, but Bugatti is still milking the idea.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Four plays later, with just over two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks ran a pass play instead of just running the ball and milking the clock.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for milking
Verb
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Alexander Isak’s ability to stretch the pitch could give an under-strength Manchester United back line a problem, while Florian Wirtz is capable of exploiting space in between the lines.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The human cost of finding and exploiting bugs may approach zero, but fixing them won’t.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Install it too low, and your knees will be in your face when using the commode.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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But in 2003, it was considered too degraded to be capable of producing a match using methods available at the time.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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According to a Reddit post from the company and a spokesperson, the Spectrum emails are legit and are part of the FBI’s effort to crack down on Russian hackers abusing 23 TP-Link router models.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
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He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.—
Amanda Rosa
Updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There was a focus on being more fluid — leveraging his torso — and creating more vertical break.—
Jaylon Thompson
May 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2026
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If Republicans maintain control of the House, our first priority should be accountability and oversight of this administration through whatever means necessary — leveraging the appropriations process, wielding subpoena power, working with outside partners to file lawsuits and more.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Another method involves manipulating routing through Border Gateway Protocol (BGP).—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 May 2026
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However, manipulating elections or even giving the appearance of fixing an election is what an anti-Democracy person would do.—
Gary Franks,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Milking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milking. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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