ox

[ oks ]

/ ɒks /

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See synonyms for ox on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ox·en

[ok-suhn] /ˈɒk sən/ for 1, 2, ox·es for 3.

the adult castrated male of the genus Bos, used chiefly as a draft animal.

any member of the bovine family.

Informal. a clumsy, stupid fellow.

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Origin of ox

First recorded before 900; Middle English oxe, Old English oxa; cognate with Old Frisian oxa, Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, Old Norse uxi, oxi; akin to Welsh ych

OTHER WORDS FROM ox

oxlike, adjective

Other definitions for ox (2 of 3)

ox-

Chemistry.

a combining form meaning “containing oxygen”: oxazine.

Origin of ox-

Short for oxygen

Other definitions for ox (3 of 3)

Ox.

abbreviation

Oxford.

Origin of Ox.

From the Medieval Latin word Oxonia

How to use ox in a sentence

There's no Nicely-Nicely Johnson hanging out in Times Square these days, no Harry the Horse, no Angie the Ox.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’|Ross Wetzsteon|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The doctors said it was as strong as an ox, considering he was so sedentary.
Gore Vidal’s Tragic Final Decade|Tim Teeman|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But generally speaking, unless their personal ox is being gored, few young women seem willing to make waves.
‘The Feminine Mystique’ at 50, Part 2: Three Feminists on What It Means Today|Jessica Bennett, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Alisa Solomon|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whoever's ox Obama chooses to gore will probably be a considerably less enthusiastic coalition member come 2016.
Is Demography Destiny?|Megan McArdle|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They want candidates willing to do whatever it takes—no matter whose ideological ox is gored—to make the economic pain stop.
Mitt Romney’s Problem With Conservatives: He’s Not Selling What They Want|Peter Beinart|February 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel hath not known me, and my people hath not understood.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Blessed are ye that sow upon all waters, sending thither the foot of the ox and the ass.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
"Sing," said the Bull, as the stiff, muddy ox-bow creaked and strained.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
It was the custom to sacrifice an ox to him, and to write any treaty made with a neighboring people upon the skin.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)

British Dictionary definitions for ox

/ (ɒks) /

noun plural oxen (ˈɒksən)

an adult castrated male of any domesticated species of cattle, esp Bos taurus, used for draught work and meat

any bovine mammal, esp any of the domestic cattle

Word Origin for ox

Old English oxa; related to Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, Old Norse oxi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012