heifer
Americannoun
-
heifers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heifer
First recorded before 900; Middle English hayfre, heighfer, Old English hēa(h)f(o)re; of uncertain origin; perhaps equivalent to hēah “high” + -fore (perhaps akin to Greek póris “heifer”); see also high ( def. )
Explanation
A heifer is a young cow. If you work on a farm, you might be tempted to adopt the smallest heifer as your pet, based on cuteness alone. Heifers are female cows who have not yet given birth to a calf. Farmers can raise heifers for dairy or for meat. In the 1830s, heifer, which is pronounced "HEFF-er," was first used as slang for "woman" or "girl." Since then, it took on the meaning of a female who is obese. It is very rude to single people out because of the way they look and so heifer should never be used.
Vocabulary lists containing heifer
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Mythology
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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:
Speaking at the Clogher Valley Show in County Tyrone, Leader said she had one heifer "that was taken away 18 months ago".
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
He had already lost a heifer with weak lungs and feared future reproductive problems.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
His brother, David Workman, killed in a fall off a cliff as he rode a mule in the dark in search of a lost heifer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
On that October morning in 2018, Ethan found his father dead in the heifer shed, his raincoat draped neatly over a door nearby.
From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
The heifer was scrambling to her feet in a cloud of dust and looking like she didn’t know any more about what had happened than I did.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
Because ranchers faced feed costs that consumed the value of their livestock, they sold off their herds or accelerated the slaughter of cows and heifers, creating a temporary surplus that compromised future supply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
The team started with a group of 20 Holstein dairy heifers ranging from three to six months old, who had previous experience in the cattle chute area and with human handling.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
As the grazing heifers lifted their horns, their playful roughhousing seemed like a display of holiday cheer.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2023
The number of heifers, or young female cows, in U.S. feedlots as of Oct.
From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2023
I was given two heifers and four sheep, and felt far richer than I ever had before.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
