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  • ox
    ox
    noun
    the adult castrated male of the genus Bos, used chiefly as a draft animal.
  • ox-
    ox-
    a combining form meaning “containing oxygen”.
  • Ox.
    Ox.
    abbreviation
    Oxford.
Synonyms

ox

1 American  
[oks] / ɒks /

noun

plural

oxen, oxes

  1. the adult castrated male of the genus Bos, used chiefly as a draft animal.

  2. any member of the bovine family.

  3. Informal. a clumsy, stupid fellow.

ox- 2 American  
Chemistry.

  1. a combining form meaning “containing oxygen”.

    oxazine.
Ox. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Oxford.

ox British  
/ ɒks /

noun

  1. an adult castrated male of any domesticated species of cattle, esp Bos taurus, used for draught work and meat

  2. any bovine mammal, esp any of the domestic cattle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

Plural word for ox The plural form of ox is oxen. This is one of the few remaining irregular nouns whose plural  derives directly from its original pluralization in Old English. A similar change is made when pluralizing woman (women), man (men), and child (children). In some rare instances, ox is pluralized in the more conventional fashion as oxes, but this form is often considered incorrect and should be avoided.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of ox1

First recorded before 900; Middle English oxe, Old English oxa; cognate with Old Frisian oxa, Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, Old Norse uxi, oxi; akin to Welsh ych

Origin of ox-2

Short for oxygen

Origin of Ox.3

From the Medieval Latin word Oxonia

Vocabulary lists containing ox

Scrabble: Two-Letter Words

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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.

The Horse enemies are the Rat and the Ox.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Asenathi Ntlabakanye has replaced injured prop Ox Nche in the South Africa squad touring Europe, SA Rugby said in a statement on Sunday.

From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025

Open now on Pill Hill is Ananas Pizzeria, from Taurus Ox chef Khampaeng Panyathong, the mastermind behind the restaurant’s renowned Asian fusion smash burger.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 24, 2023

The overlook falls within the stretch now closed, between mile marker 367.6 near a picnic area and mile marker 375.6 where the parkway meets Ox Creek Road.

From Washington Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Ox carts, oxen, and horses had all vanished horn the yard, but the bear cage was still there.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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.