cow

¹ American  

[kou] / kaʊ /

noun

PLURAL

cows

PLURAL

kine

1. the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.

2. the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.

3. Informal.  a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.

   2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.

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idioms

1. have a cow,  to become very angry or upset; throw a fit.

   My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.

2. till / until the cows come home,  for a long time; forever.

   You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

cow ² American  

[kou] / kaʊ /

verb (used with object)

1. to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.

   Synonyms:

   bully , scare , terrorize

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cow ¹ British  

/ kaʊ /

noun

1. the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle

2. the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal

3. (not in technical use) any domestic species of cattle

4. informal  a disagreeable woman

5. slang  something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )

6. informal  for a very long time; effectively for ever

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cow ² British  

/ kaʊ /

verb

1. (tr) to frighten or overawe, as with threats

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cow More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cow

• cash cow
• holy cow
• sacred cow
• till the cows come home

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Other Word Forms

• cowlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of cow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, cū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse kȳr, Sanskrit gáuḥ “ox, cow,” Latin bōs “ox, cow,” Greek boûs “ox, cow”; bovine, gaur

Origin of cow²

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse kūga “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”

Example Sentences

"The two cows that tested positive had no clinical signs and the rest of the herd has been inspected and there's no clinical signs there either."

From BBC

In addition to turkeys, residents include cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, llamas and emus.

From Los Angeles Times

“The roads were dirt and wound around as if made by somnambulistic cows.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Rather than being cowed by the crowd, Newcastle made an aggressive start.

From BBC

Soft drinks made only with natural sugars, such as cows' milk and pure fruit juice, are also not part of the tax.

From BBC

Related Words

• bludgeon
• bully
• daunt
• dishearten
• embarrass
• faze
• frighten
• rattle
• strong-arm
• subdue
• terrorize
• unnerve