What does "cow" mean?
An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.
Cow
/[kʰæʊː]/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.
- Grammar: cow is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: moo-cow, abash, animal, antelope.
- Useful contrasts: boeuf, bull, bullock.
- Usage evidence: You cannot sell the cow and drink the milk.
How to use "cow"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cow" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cow" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cow" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cow" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cow" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "moo-cow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cow", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved. countable, uncountable
"The whole herd is out to pasture right now — the cows, calves, and heifers are out back, and the bulls are down by the creek."
- 2 A chimney cowl. UK, dialectal
"Who could live to gaze from day to day on bricks and slates, who had once felt the influence of a scene like this? Who could continue to exist, where there are no cows but the cows on the chimneypots; nothing redolent of Pan but pan-tiles; […]"
- 3 LFBOT: Synonym of luminous fast blue optical transient.
- 4 Acronym of copy-on-write. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
- 5 Initialism of clerk of works. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 mature female of mammals of which the male is called ‘bull’ wordnet
- 7 Any member of the species Bos taurus that is not of a bucking breed or fighting breed, regardless of sex or age, including steers and calves. broadly, countable, informal, uncountable
"We saw lots of cows at the farm show, including some surprisingly gigantic bulls."
- 8 Acronym of chief of watch. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
- 9 female of domestic cattle: wordnet
- 10 Beef: the meat of cattle as food. uncommon, uncountable
"The only meat I eat is cow."
- 11 a large unpleasant woman wordnet
- 12 Any bovines or bovids generally, including yaks, buffalo, etc. countable, uncommon, uncountable
- 13 A female member of other large species of mammal, including the bovines, moose, whales, seals, hippos, rhinos, manatees, and elephants. countable, uncountable
- 14 A woman considered unpleasant in some way, particularly one considered nasty, stupid, fat, lazy, or difficult. Ireland, UK, countable, derogatory, informal, uncountable
"[…] the worst insult to a woman, either in London or Paris, is "cow"; a name which might even be a compliment, for cows are among the most likeable of animals."
- 15 A chock: a wedge or brake used to stop a machine or car. countable, uncountable
- 16 A third-year cadet at West Point. US, countable, slang, uncountable
"Colonel Red Reeder, West Point Second Classman An assistant manager, wearing the stripes of a cadet corporal, walked up to Coach Smith. Clint knew him, a Cow from B-l. What had he done to become so outstanding that the Tacs made him a corporal?"
- 17 A fish that is very large for its species, such as a large striped bass or large bluefin tuna. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To intimidate; to daunt the spirits or courage of. transitive
"Con artists are not cowed by the law."
- 2 subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe; frighten (as with threats) wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 Alternative form of C of W. alt-of, alternative
- 2 A surname countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename; Ellipsis of Cow Creek. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 4 A placename; Ellipsis of Cow Island. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 5 A placename; Ellipsis of Cow Lake. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A placename; Ellipsis of Cow Mountain. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Example
"You cannot sell the cow and drink the milk."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cow"?
Common synonyms include: moo-cow, abash, animal, antelope, appall, armadillo.
How do you use "cow" in a sentence?
You cannot sell the cow and drink the milk.
How do you pronounce "cow"?
Pronounced /[kʰæʊː]/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws Proto-Germanic *kōz Proto-West Germanic *kō Old English cū Middle English cow English cow Inherited from Middle English cow, cou, from Old English cū (“cow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kō, from Proto-Germanic *kōz (“cow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws (“cow”). Cognate with Sanskrit गो (go), Ancient Greek βοῦς (boûs), Persian گاو (gâv)), Latvian govs (“cow”), Proto-Slavic *govędo (Serbo-Croatian govedo, Russian говядина (govjadina, “beef”), Scots coo (“cow”), North Frisian ko, kø (“cow”), West Frisian ko (“cow”), Dutch koe (“cow”), Low German Koh, Koo, Kau (“cow”), German Kuh (“cow”), Swedish ko (“cow”), Norwegian ku (“cow”), Icelandic kýr (“cow”), Latin bōs (“ox, bull, cow”) (whence English beef), Armenian կով (kov, “cow”). Doublet of beef. The plural kine is from Middle English kyne, kyn, kuin, kiin, kien (“cows”), either a double plural of Middle English ky, kye (“cows”), equivalent to modern kye + -en, or inherited from Old English cūna (“cows', of cows”), genitive plural of cū (“cow”).
Etymology 2
Probably from Old Norse kúga (“to oppress”) (whence also Norwegian and Danish kue, Swedish kuva); compare Icelandic kúfa (“to set on top”) and Faroese kúga (“to oppress”).
Etymology 3
Clipping of AT2018cow. From the name of the archetypal event, AT2018cow, an LFBOT. From being an astronomical transient (AT) occurring in 2018, with an automatically assigned code to distinguish it from other events in 2018.