livestock

American  

[lahyv-stok] / ˈlaɪvˌstɒk /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. the horses, cattle, sheep, and other useful animals kept or raised on a farm or ranch.

---

livestock British  

/ ˈlaɪvˌstɒk /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) cattle, horses, poultry, and similar animals kept for domestic use but not as pets, esp on a farm or ranch

---

Etymology

Origin of livestock

First recorded in 1650–60; live ² + stock

Explanation

The animals you find on a farm are collectively called livestock. Your herd of dairy goats are livestock, but your toy poodle is just a pet. Livestock are distinguished from other animals by the fact that they're domesticated and raised for food or money — if you get wool, milk, meat, or eggs from animals, they're livestock. The word comes from the sense of stock that means "supply for future use" or "sum of money; from the 1500s, this word was also used to mean "movable property of a farm."

Example Sentences

It comes from the surrounding landscape, including farm fields, livestock operations, diesel exhaust and unpaved roads.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Over time, they can enter freshwater and marine environments, raising increasing concerns about potential health risks to humans, livestock, and wildlife.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Each option reduces overall productivity, cutting supplies of basic foods, feed for livestock and key ingredients used in a wide range of food products.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

Agriculture companies generally require an outsider to wear washed clothes they provide before working with livestock to avoid any contamination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

So far, I’ve emphasized direct and indirect values of crops and livestock as food.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• herd
• oxen