calf
1 Americannoun
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the young of the domestic cow or other bovine animal.
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the young of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.
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Informal. an awkward, silly boy or man.
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a mass of ice detached from a glacier, iceberg, or floe.
idioms
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kill the fatted calf, to prepare an elaborate feast in welcome or celebration.
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in calf, (of a cow or other animal having calves) pregnant.
noun
noun
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the young of cattle, esp domestic cattle
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the young of certain other mammals, such as the buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and whale
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a large piece of floating ice detached from an iceberg, etc
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to celebrate lavishly, esp as a welcome
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another name for calfskin
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of calf1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English cealf, calf; cognate with Old Saxon kalf, Old Norse kalfr, Old High German kalb, from Germanic kalboz
Origin of calf2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse kalfi
Explanation
The word calf can mean either a baby cow or bull, or the area of the back of your leg between your ankle and knee. Cattle are not the only animals whose babies are called calves. You can use the word to mean a baby whale, baby elephant, camel, bison, elk, giraffe, gnu, hippopotamus, moose, ox, reindeer, rhinoceros, and yak. If a large piece of ice breaks off of a glacier or iceberg, well that's a calf too! If you want to strengthen your calves, doing heel raises while holding a calf is an interesting way to go about it.
Vocabulary lists containing calf
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Breaking the carcass into smaller portions would make it easier for a calf or juvenile to feed, which is consistent with other known orca behaviors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Wales captain Dewi Lake was passed fit despite limping off against the Pumas, but wing Josh Adams was a late withdrawal because of a calf problem with Ellis Mee taking his place.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The American striker was battling hulking Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic for a loose ball when he inadvertently raked Muharemovic’s right calf with his studs up, then landed on his ankle, twisting it awkwardly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
On that night, in Kansas City, Messi lunged for a ball and raked his studs on the calf of an Algerian defender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
They went off to find the Afrikaner in the barn, supervising the birth of a calf.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
"Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
"Orcas often tear apart prey and share it with other members of the group, including calves and juveniles," said Ayres.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
McClain’s other passion was competing on horseback, showing off skills to round up calves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Canada's food inspection agency has announced a temporary ban on livestock from the US state of Texas after flesh-eating screwworms were discovered in calves this week.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
That's when I feel something grab at the back of my jeans, right around my calves.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
