cash cow

American  

noun

Informal.

1. any business venture, operation, or product that is a dependable source of income or profit.

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cash cow British  

noun

1. a product, acquisition, etc, that produces a steady flow of cash, esp one with a well-known brand name commanding a high market share

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cash cow Idioms  

1. A dependable source of profit, as in The small-appliance division is this company's cash cow. Although this precise term dates only from about 1970, milch cow was used in exactly the same way from 1601.

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Example Sentences

The property is clearly no one’s home but a cash cow, turned over every few days or weeks for new arrivals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

To protect the government’s cash cow, politicians avoided meddling in PdVSA, which was run by highly trained engineers and other professionals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

After a floppy-haired Pimblett knocked out Luigi Vendramini on his UFC debut in 2021, he said during a charismatic post-fight interview: "I'm here to take over, lad. I'm the new cash cow."

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Alphabet is now “winning everywhere,” wrote Wlodarczak, adding that the company’s cash cow, google search, has been resilient, Gemini is improving, and YouTube is the world’s largest video streamer.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

“But this business of his is a cash cow, I’m telling you. Listen. This is how I got it figured ...” What luck!

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• moneymaker