cow

¹ American  

[kou] / kaʊ /

noun

cows, plural kine plural

1. the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.

2. the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.

3. Informal. a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.

4. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

   1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.

   2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.

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idioms

1. have a cow, to become very angry or upset; throw a fit.

   My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.

2. till / until the cows come home, for a long time; forever.

   You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

cow ² American  

[kou] / kaʊ /

verb (used with object)

cows, present (3rd person singular) cowed, past participle, past cowing present participle

1. to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.

   Synonyms:

   bully, scare, terrorize

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cow ¹ British  

/ kaʊ /

noun

1. the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle

2. the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal

3. (not in technical use) any domestic species of cattle

4. informal a disagreeable woman

5. slang something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )

6. informal for a very long time; effectively for ever

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cow ² British  

/ kaʊ /

verb

1. (tr) to frighten or overawe, as with threats

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cow More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cow

• cash cow
• holy cow
• sacred cow
• till the cows come home

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cowlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cows
  plural
• kine
  plural

Participles

• cowing
  present
• cowed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cow
  simple
• cows
  simple
• have cowed
  perfect
• has cowed
  perfect
• am cowing
  progressive
• are cowing
  progressive
• is cowing
  progressive
• have been cowing
  perfect progressive
• has been cowing
  perfect progressive

Past

• cowed
  simple
• had cowed
  perfect
• was cowing
  progressive
• were cowing
  progressive
• had been cowing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cow
  simple
• will have cowed
  perfect
• will be cowing
  progressive
• will have been cowing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, cū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse kȳr, Sanskrit gáuḥ “ox, cow,” Latin bōs “ox, cow,” Greek boûs “ox, cow”; cf. bovine, gaur

Origin of cow²

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse kūga “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”

Explanation

If it lives on a farm, makes a mooing sound, and produces milk, it is probably a cow. Most people would immediately identify a cow, the large, cud-chewing female of what is known as "cattle." Cows are typically domesticated farm animals, though the females of wilder bovine relatives are also called cows. The verb form of cow, "to frighten or subdue," comes from the docile nature of most cows — they are fairly easy to intimidate, or easily cowed. The Old English root is cu, from the Indo-European gwous, which might have developed from the sound that cows make.

Example Sentences

Cross-Eyed Cow Pizza, said Bowen, is just down the road.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

For Baby Cow Productions, which can list Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge among its success stories, there is a desire to keep supporting live comics and emerging talent to make the move to television.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

In 1982, cartoonist Gary Larson introduced a famous Far Side comic called Cow Tools.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

For dairy, I love Brown Cow Cream Top; it’s thick and faintly tangy, with that quiet luxury of actual cream.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

The Red Cow, drawing in her breath, gave one huge tremendous jump and the earth fell away beneath her.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

Related Words

• bludgeon
• bully
• daunt
• dishearten
• embarrass
• faze
• frighten
• rattle
• strong-arm
• subdue
• terrorize
• unnerve