What does "milk" mean?

1. (dairy drink) the white liquid produced by female animals like cows or goats to feed their babies. 2. (plant-based drink) a white liquid made from plants, like almonds, oats, or soy. 3. (to extract milk) to take milk from an animal, usually by hand or with a machine. 4. (to exploit) to get as much benefit or money as possible from a situation, often in an unfair way.

How do you use "milk"?

uncountable in its general sense often used with a modifier like 'oat' or 'almond' transitive verb often used with 'for' as in 'milk it for all it's worth'

milk

n. · v.

US //ˈmɪɫk// UK //mˈɪlk// milk

1 dairy drink (n.)
A1 Beginner

the white liquid produced by female animals like cows or goats to feed their babies.

a white, nutrient-rich liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young.

Example

I always put a little bit of cold milk in my tea.

Example

The dairy industry has faced significant challenges as consumer preferences shift toward organic and locally sourced milk products.

Usage

uncountable in its general sense
- dairy
2 plant-based drink (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a white liquid made from plants, like almonds, oats, or soy.

a whitish liquid extract derived from plant matter, used as a substitute for animal milk.

Example

She prefers oat milk in her coffee because it is creamy.

Example

The supermarket expanded its inventory to include various nut and grain milks to accommodate the growing vegan population.

Usage

often used with a modifier like 'oat' or 'almond'
- plant milk
- dairy alternative

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3 to extract milk (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to take milk from an animal, usually by hand or with a machine.

to draw milk from the udder or breast of a mammal.

Example

The farmer has to milk the cows early every morning.

Example

Modern dairy farms utilise automated systems to milk hundreds of cows efficiently throughout the day.

Usage

transitive verb
- draw
- extract
4 to exploit (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

to get as much benefit or money as possible from a situation, often in an unfair way.

to exploit a situation, person, or resource to the fullest extent, often for personal gain or advantage.

Example

He really milked the story of his injury to get extra sympathy from his boss.

Example

The studio continued to milk the franchise for years, releasing sequels long after the original plot had been exhausted.

Usage

often used with 'for' as in 'milk it for all it's worth'

Etymology 1

From Middle English milk, mylk, melk, mulc, from Old English meolc, meoluc (“milk”), from Proto-West Germanic meluk (“milk”), from Proto-Germanic meluks (“milk”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“milk, to milk”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian molke (“milk”), Dutch melk (“milk”), Dutch Low Saxon melk (“milk”), German Milch (“milk”), German Low German Melk (“milk”), Yiddish מילך (milkh, “milk”), Danish mælk (“milk”), Faroese and Icelandic mjólk (“milk”), Norn *mjølk (“milk”), Norwegian Bokmål melk, mjølk (“milk”), Norwegian Nynorsk mjølk (“milk”), Swedish mjölk (“milk”), Gothic 𐌼𐌹𐌻𐌿𐌺𐍃 (miluks, “milk”), Greek αμέλγω (amélgo, “to milk”), Albanian mjel (“to milk”), Latvian malks, Lithuanian malkas, Belarusian малако́ (malakó, “milk”), Bulgarian мля́ко (mljáko, “milk”), Czech mléko, Macedonian мле́ко (mléko, “milk”), Polish mleko (“milk”), Russian and Ukrainian молоко́ (molokó, “milk”), Serbo-Croatian mlijéko (“milk”), Slovak mlieko (“milk”), Slovene mlẹ́ko (“milk”), Welsh blith, Tocharian A malke.

Etymology 2

From Middle English milken, from Old English melcan, from Proto-Germanic melkaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂melǵ-, the same root as the noun. Compare Dutch and German melken, Danish malke, Norwegian mjølke, also Latin mulgeō (“I milk”), Ancient Greek ἀμέλγω (amélgō, “I milk”), Albanian mjel (“to milk”), Russian молоко́ (molokó), Lithuanian mélžti, Tocharian A mālk-.

Word family

Verbmilking
Nounbuttermilk
Nounmilk
Nounmilkshake
Adjectivemilky

Idioms7 entries