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bell cow

American  

noun

  1. a cow, especially the lead cow of a herd, having a bell attached to a collar around its neck so that the herd can be located easily.


Etymology

Origin of bell cow

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60


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:

Without their bell cow, Minnesota saw three running backs and quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis get between 10 and 15 carries apiece.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2023

Running backs coach Kiel McDonald made it clear in the past he prefers to have a bell cow back in place, even if multiple running backs sometimes share the workload during select games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

Coach Ryan Day may have found a bell cow after splitting carries among Henderson and a couple others in the first two games.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2021

Owner Mike Brown called him the team’s "bell cow."

From Fox News ● Apr. 24, 2021

You've heard of a bell cow, haven't you?

From Jewel by Clara Louise Burnham

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