View synonyms for cow

cow

[ kou ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural cows, (Archaic) kine.

the mature female of a bovine animal, especially of the genus Bos.
the female of certain other mammals, as elephants, seals, and whales.
Informal. a domestic bovine of either sex and any age.
Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
1. a contemptible woman, especially one who is fat, stupid, lazy, etc.
2. a woman who has a large number of children or is frequently pregnant.

cow

[ kou ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to frighten with threats, violence, etc.; intimidate; overawe.
Synonyms: bully, scare, terrorize

cow

/ kaʊ /

noun

the mature female of any species of cattle, esp domesticated cattle
the mature female of various other mammals, such as the elephant, whale, and seal
not in technical use any domestic species of cattle
informal.
a disagreeable woman
slang.
something objectionable (esp in the phrase a fair cow )
till the cows come home informal.
for a very long time; effectively for ever

cow

/ kaʊ /

verb

tr to frighten or overawe, as with threats

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Other Words From

cow·like adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cou, cu, Old English cuu, cū; cognate with German Kuh, Dutch koe, Old Norse kȳr, Sanskrit gáuḥ “ox, cow,” Latin bōs “ox, cow,” Greek boûs “ox, cow”; bovine, gaur

Origin of cow²

First recorded in 1610–20; perhaps from Old Norse kūga “to oppress, cow”; compare Norwegian kue “to cow”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cow¹

Old English cū; related to Old Norse kӯr, Old High German kuo, Latin bōs, Greek boūs, Sanskrit gāŭs

Origin of cow²

C17: from Old Norse kūga to oppress, related to Norwegian kue, Swedish kuva

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

have a cow, Slang. to become very angry or upset; throw a fit:
My mom will have a cow when she hears I'm moving.
till / until the cows come home, for a long time; forever:
You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind.

More idioms and phrases containing cow

In addition to the idiom beginning with cow , also see cash cow ; holy cow ; sacred cow ; till the cows come home .

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Example Sentences

Fifteen million years ago, now-extinct species of dolphins, whales and large sea cows roamed the world’s oceans, topping the underwater food chain.

From Salon

Ivy Farm Technologies in Oxford is ready to go with lab-grown steaks, made from cells taken from Wagyu and Aberdeen Angus cows.

From BBC

"We were cowed by the market - we came to act as if it always knew best and the state should sit it out."

From BBC

"Welsh government is discouraging the whole industry," he claimed, accusing ministers of seeing it as a "cash cow to be milked".

From BBC

In a large corral carpeted with hay and cow patties, Ladd pulled up two metal chairs, taking care to brush one off for his guest.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Covington cowabunga

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