An ox is captured by the horns, a person is bound by his word.
Source: tatoeba (19501)
Ox
/ˈɑks/
Synonyms for "ox" (117 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: animal, antelope, armadillo, ass, aurochs.
- Sentence evidence is available for ox, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, moby, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "ox".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "ox"
Keep "ox" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "ox" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "ox", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "ox" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Translations
131 translations across 104 languages.
Afrikaans
2 entries- bees noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- os noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Akan
1 entries- nandwie (Abron) noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Albanian
1 entries- ka noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Amharic
1 entries- በሬ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Arabic
1 entries- ثَوْر noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Armenian
1 entries- եզ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Aromanian
1 entries- bou noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Asturian
1 entries- güe noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- öküz noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Basque
1 entries- idi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Belarusian
2 entries- бык noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- вол noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Bulgarian
1 entries- вол noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Campidanese Sardinian
1 entries- boi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Catalan
1 entries- bou noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᎦᏓᎵ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 牛 noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- 犉 noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Czech
1 entries- vůl noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Dalmatian
1 entries- bu noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Danish
1 entries- okse noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Dutch
1 entries- os noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Eshtehardi
1 entries- گو noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Esperanto
1 entries- okso noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Estonian
1 entries- härg noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Ewe
1 entries- nyi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Faroese
1 entries- oksi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Finnish
2 entries- härkä noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- nauta noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
French
1 entries- bœuf noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Friulian
2 entries- bo noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- nemâl noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Galician
1 entries- boi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
German
3 entries- Rind noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- Zugrind noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- Zugtier noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍃𐌰 noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Greek
1 entries- βόδι noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- bèf noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Hebrew
1 entries- שׁוֹר noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Hindi
1 entries- बैल noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Hungarian
1 entries- ökör noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Icelandic
1 entries- uxi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Indonesian
1 entries- lembu noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Iranian Persian
3 entries- بَرْزَگاو noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- وَرْزا noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- گاو noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Irish
1 entries- damh noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Italian
2 entries- bove noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- bue noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Japanese
1 entries- 去勢雄牛 noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Karachay-Balkar
1 entries- ёгюз noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Kazakh
1 entries- өгіз noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Latgalian
1 entries- vierss noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Latin
2 entries- armentum noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- bōs noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Latvian
1 entries- vērsis noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Lithuanian
1 entries- jautis noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Livonian
1 entries- ǟrga noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Low German
1 entries- Oss noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Lower Sorbian
1 entries- woł noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Luxembourgish
2 entries- Ochs noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- Uess noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Lü
1 entries- ᦷᦣ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Macedonian
1 entries- вол noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Middle English
1 entries- oxe noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Mongolian
1 entries- үхэр noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Mòcheno
1 entries- ocks noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
North Frisian
1 entries- oxse noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- ga noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- okse noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- okse noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Nuosu
1 entries- ꇌ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Occitan
1 entries- buòu noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Old Armenian
1 entries- եզն noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Old Church Slavonic
1 entries- волъ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Old East Slavic
1 entries- волъ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Old Norse
2 entries- oxi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- uxi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Old Turkic
1 entries- 𐰈𐰛𐰈𐰕 noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- اۊكۏز noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Polish
1 entries- wół noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Portuguese
1 entries- boi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Romanian
1 entries- bou noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Romansch
1 entries- bov noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Russian
2 entries- бык noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- вол noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Sardinian
1 entries- boe noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- damh noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- bȉk noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- vȏ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- vȏl noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- би̏к noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Sicilian
2 entries- jencu noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- voi noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Slovak
1 entries- vôl noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Slovene
1 entries- vol noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Southern Altai
2 entries- бука noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- ӧкӱс noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Spanish
3 entries- buey noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- novillo noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- toro noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Swahili
1 entries- ngʼombe noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Swedish
1 entries- oxe noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tagalog
1 entries- kapong baka noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tajik
1 entries- барзагов noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tamil
1 entries- காளை noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Taos
2 entries- mùoyaʼána noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- tùluʼúna noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Telugu
1 entries- ఎద్దు noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Thai
2 entries- วัว noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- โค noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tibetan
1 entries- གླང noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tigrinya
1 entries- ብዕራይ noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Tok Pisin
1 entries- bulmakau noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Turkish
1 entries- öküz noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Ukrainian
2 entries- бик noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- віл noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Upper Sorbian
1 entries- woł noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Urdu
1 entries- بَیل noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Uzbek
2 entries- bizon noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
- buyvol noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Vietnamese
1 entries- bò noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Volapük
1 entries- hobub noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Võro
1 entries- härg noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Welsh
1 entries- ych noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Yiddish
1 entries- אָקס noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Zazaki
1 entries- ga (diq) noun (any bovine animal used as a beast of burden)
Sample sentences
12 total sentences available.
He who steals a pin will steal an ox.
Source: tatoeba (27757)
A buffalo is akin to an ox.
Source: tatoeba (270892)
Why don't we take a ride round the island on this ox carriage?
Source: tatoeba (326974)
Showing 4 of 12 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "ox"?
Closest matches include animal, antelope, armadillo, ass, aurochs.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "ox"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.