milk cow

American  

noun

1. a cow that is raised for its milk rather than for beef.

2. Informal. a source of easily gained income; profitable venture.

   The new subsidiary turns out to be a real milk cow.

---

Etymology

Origin of milk cow

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

milk cow

Castro was obsessed with cloning Ubre Blanca, a champion milk cow, to end the chronic milk shortage his agricultural policies created.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Only the milk cow, Star, who had come into our family as my brother’s 4-H project, was ever named.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2021

In May, Joe and Elizabeth went to Île-aux-Moines, a coastal island in Brittany, where there was a small American colony, fresh sea air, and a milk cow for the baby.

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 10, 2018

You know I read the thing you put up your nose web page seek milk cow bucolic sculpin and I have to say it’s wontons.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2018

“It’s too early for her to be dry. We don’t have much use for a milk cow that don’t milk.”

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia