calf
1 Americannoun
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calves
plural
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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
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calves
plural
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:
There were calf and hamstring issues but also a feeling Erik ten Hag rushed him back too quickly.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The orca repeatedly allowed the calf to sink before bringing it back to the surface, a difficult moment to watch but one that Aasen felt was important to record.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
About a dozen vultures were feeding on the remains of a pregnant female elephant, who had died near full term, and her unborn calf.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
So when a calf disappeared into the tall grass recently, he roamed among the herd making low, rumbling grunts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
She sticks one leg out and pulls her toes back toward her body to stretch her calf.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
All of the affected elephants - mainly female adults and their calves - had also shown signs of paralysis, which authorities believe also points to cyanide poisoning.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Once farmers and ranchers arrived in California, their stock of calves and pigs and crops were a bear buffet, and that got bears killed much more often than any unprovoked attacks on humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“It couldn’t come at a worse time, as a lot of producers will be selling their calves over the next few months.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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
I rose from the table, adrenaline pinching my calves to action, stopping long enough to hug him.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
