Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

teat

American  
[teet, tit] / tit, tɪt /

noun

teats plural
  1. the protuberance on the breast or udder in female mammals, except the monotremes, through which the milk ducts discharge; nipple or mammilla.

  2. something resembling a teat.


teat British  
/ tiːt /

noun

    1. the nipple of a mammary gland

    2. (in cows, etc) any of the projections from the udder through which milk is discharged See nipple

  1. something resembling a teat in shape or function, such as the rubber mouthpiece of a feeding bottle

"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

teat Scientific  
/ tēt,tĭt /
  1. A small projection near the center of the mammary gland of many female mammals that contains the outlet of the milk ducts. Each teat contains a single milk duct, while nipples each contain more than one.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of teat

1250–1300; Middle English tete < Old French < Germanic; see tit 2

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:

That suggests mechanical transfer during milking, when a separate cup is put on each teat.

From Science Magazine Apr. 25, 2024

One day this past October, Ms. Stefanik stood in front of a dozen gigantic bins of bovine teat cleanser, decrying the war on chocolate milk to a nodding crowd of farmers.

From New York Times Dec. 31, 2022

To give up the Queen’s contribution without also giving up that of the Prince, commentators noted, hardly amounts to weaning oneself from the royal teat altogether.

From The New Yorker Jan. 10, 2020

When not competing for a teat, they can often be seen in a "cuddle puddle" formation - nestled close to each other and their mother for comfort and warmth.

From BBC Dec. 23, 2018

“Udders. These are the cow’s udders. Clean her off and use teat dip....”

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

With the afternoon sun beating down while the cows snort and moo, the workers inspect and clean the animals' teats, which are then attached to milking equipment.

From BBC Feb. 19, 2026

He said there was no longer any way of sterilising their milk and bottle teats to the required standard.

From Reuters Nov. 13, 2023

According to the World Health Organization’s “Ten steps to successful breastfeeding” tips, health-care providers should “Counsel mothers on the use and risks of feeding bottles, teats and pacifiers.”

From Washington Post Jan. 28, 2023

As a young man, Mr. Crawley realized he “didn’t want to yank” cows’ teats for the rest of his life and found work in a machine shop.

From New York Times Sep. 17, 2021

And I’d seen eggs laid, bloody puppies wet and shimmery, calves encased in a blue bubble, slippery wet ponies thin and vulnerable, and hundreds of pink piglets suckling engorged teats.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training