dairy

American  

[dair-ee] / ˈdɛər i /

noun

dairies plural

1. an establishment, as a room, building, or buildings, where milk and cream are kept and butter and cheese are made.

2. a shop or company that sells milk, butter, etc.

3. the business of a dairy farm, concerned with the production and treatment of milk and cream and the manufacture of butter and cheese.

4. dairy farm.

5. milk, or products made from or containing milk; dairy products, as butter and cheese.

   He avoids red meat, processed foods, and dairy in his diet.

6. (in Jewish dietary law) foods, including all milk products, eggs, fish, vegetables, etc., that may be eaten at a meal in which milk is served, in contrast to meat and meat products, which may not.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a dairy or a dairy farm.

2. relating to or for milk, cream, butter, cheese, etc..

   dairy products; the dairy case at a supermarket.

3. (in Jewish dietary law) of or relating to dairy, in contrast to meat and meat products.

dairy British  

/ ˈdɛərɪ /

noun

1. a company that supplies milk and milk products

2. 1. a shop that sells provisions, esp milk and milk products

   2. a shop that remains open outside normal trading hours

3. a room or building where milk and cream are stored or made into butter and cheese

4. 1. (modifier) of or relating to the production of milk and milk products

      dairy cattle

   2. ( in combination )

      a dairymaid

      a dairyman

5. 1. food containing milk or milk products

      she can't eat dairy

   2. ( as modifier )

      dairy produce

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dairies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dairy

1250–1300; Middle English daierie, equivalent to daie, deie dairymaid ( Old English dǣge bread maker; cognate with Old Norse deigja; see lady) + -erie -ery

Explanation

A dairy is a farm that specializes in milk and products made from milk. Cheese, yogurt, cream, and ice cream are all things that might be produced at a dairy. While one kind of dairy is a farm where cows or goats are kept and milked, other dairies focus only on making products from milk that farmers sell to them. These items themselves can also be called dairy products. Dairy comes from the Middle English daie, "dairy," which is rooted in the Old English dæge, "kneader of bread," or "female servant."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dairy dairies

I can’t sing if I have had any dairy, so no dairy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

So far, they have indicated that dairy is a non-starter.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

A small amount of foreign dairy is able to enter Canada tariff-free or at low tariff rates under set quota limits.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Lincicome added that Washington's discrimination claims over dairy products could be seen as "dubious" too as they relate to terms of Canada's trade deal with the European Union.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

He also sells produce, dairy products, and mushrooms from a half dozen other small producers in the Shenandoah Valley.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

McAfee said the 2006 outbreak opened his eyes to the risk of his product and was part of the reason he developed standards for unpasteurized dairies.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Clover Sonoma mainly buys and processes milk from dairies in verdant Sonoma County, as the company’s marketing suggests.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Small dairies say they are already having problems sourcing sheep's milk, which could mean possible shortages of feta going forward.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2025

The settlement, resolving a lawsuit filed in 2022, would pay most of the historic dairies and cattle ranches on the seashore to move out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2025

Shot plays curious freaks sometimes: I know a case in which a gun was accidentally discharged in a dairy paved as most dairies are with stone flags.

From The Gamekeeper At Home Sketches of Natural History and Rural Life by Jefferies, Richard

Related Words

• dairy farm