dairy
Americannoun
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dairies
plural
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an establishment, as a room, building, or buildings, where milk and cream are kept and butter and cheese are made.
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a shop or company that sells milk, butter, etc.
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the business of a dairy farm, concerned with the production and treatment of milk and cream and the manufacture of butter and cheese.
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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.
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(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.
adjective
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of or relating to a dairy or a dairy farm.
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relating to or for milk, cream, butter, cheese, etc..
dairy products; the dairy case at a supermarket.
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(in Jewish dietary law) of or relating to dairy, in contrast to meat and meat products.
noun
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a company that supplies milk and milk products
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a shop that sells provisions, esp milk and milk products
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a shop that remains open outside normal trading hours
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a room or building where milk and cream are stored or made into butter and cheese
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(modifier) of or relating to the production of milk and milk products
dairy cattle
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( in combination )
a dairymaid
a dairyman
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food containing milk or milk products
she can't eat dairy
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( as modifier )
dairy produce
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
They only buy dairy products they can eat in a day, because electricity for refrigerators is uncertain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
Everything from gasoline, diesel fuel and heating oil to rubber, sugar, meat, dairy products and shoes were rationed for the duration of the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The results also align with existing dietary recommendations for colorectal cancer prevention, which encourage eating whole grains, fiber, dairy products, and calcium-rich foods while limiting processed meat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
BioFiltro, a company founded in Chile, puts red wigglers in a bed of chips to purify wastewater from dairy stalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
So you eat all dairy one meal and all meat the next.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
It has invested around €51 million to boost skyr capacity in its German, Swedish and Danish dairies since 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
If I drank all the dairies in London dry, I shouldn’t get such milk and roses on my cheeks.”
From Only One Love, or Who Was the Heir by Charles Garvice
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