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.

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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

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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

They banked almost 500,000 seeds from 19 species, including relatives of lettuce, parsnip, strawberry, radish, quinoa, blackberry, alfalfa and several species used as fodder crops for livestock.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

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

Producing less corn and wheat reduces not only food available for humans but also food for livestock.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

It was only within the last 11,000 years that some peoples turned to what is termed food production: that is, domesticating wild animals and plants and eating the resulting livestock and crops.

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

Related Words

• herd
• oxen