milk

American  

[milk] / mɪlk /

noun

1. an opaque white or bluish-white liquid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals, serving for the nourishment of their young.

2. this liquid as secreted by cows, goats, or certain other animals and used by humans for food or as a source of butter, cheeses, yogurt, etc.

3. a glass, carton, etc., of cow's milk.

   We ordered two milks for the children.

4. any liquid resembling the milk of animals, as the liquid within a coconut, the juice or sap of certain plants, or various pharmaceutical or cosmetic preparations: a gentle cleansing milk for your skin.

   the milk of the rubber tree;

   a gentle cleansing milk for your skin.

5. a whitish, potable liquid made of ground nuts, legumes, seeds, or grain blended with water and often a sweetener, used especially as a substitute for dairy milk, its main ingredient as specified: almond milk; rice milk.

   nut milks;

   almond milk;

   oat milk;

   rice milk.

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verb (used with object)

1. to press or draw milk from the udder or breast of.

2. to get something from, especially in a way that exploits or defrauds.

   The swindler milked her of all her savings.

3. to elicit or draw out a response from someone: The interview was an attempt to milk some sympathy out of what should have been a private tragedy.

   He knows how to milk an audience for laughs.

   The interview was an attempt to milk some sympathy out of what should have been a private tragedy.

4. to extract with effort as if by milking; squeeze.

   He always has to milk the last bit of toothpaste from the tube.

   She tried to milk a few more billable hours out of the contract.

verb (used without object)

1. to yield milk, as a cow.

   We called the vet when two of our Holsteins suddenly stopped milking.

2. to milk a cow or other mammal.

idioms

1. cry over spilled / spilt milk, to lament what cannot be changed or corrected; express sorrow for past actions or events.

   Crying over spilled milk will do you no good now.

milk British  

/ mɪlk /

noun

1. 1. a whitish nutritious fluid produced and secreted by the mammary glands of mature female mammals and used for feeding their young until weaned

   2. the milk of cows, goats, or other animals used by man as a food or in the production of butter, cheese, etc

2. any similar fluid in plants, such as the juice of a coconut

3. any of various milklike pharmaceutical preparations, such as milk of magnesia

4. to lament something that cannot be altered

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verb

1. to draw milk from the udder of (a cow, goat, or other animal)

2. (intr) (of cows, goats, or other animals) to yield milk

3. (tr) to draw off or tap in small quantities

   to milk the petty cash

4. (tr) to extract as much money, help, etc, as possible from

   to milk a situation of its news value

5. (tr) to extract venom, sap, etc, from

milk Scientific  

/ mĭlk /

1. A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals for feeding their young beginning immediately after birth. Milk is an emulsion of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and sugars, especially lactose, in water. The proteins in milk contain all the essential amino acids.

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milk More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing milk

• cry over spilt milk

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Other Word Forms

• milkless adjective
• overmilk verb
• unmilked adjective
• well-milked adjective

Etymology

Origin of milk

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English meol(o)ic, (Anglian) milc; cognate with German Milch, Old Norse mjōlk, Gothic miluks; akin to Latin mulgēre, Greek amélgein “to milk”

Explanation

Milk is the white liquid that female mammals produce for feeding their babies. Nursing human mothers feed their infants milk, and so do mother goats, cows, dogs, and cats. If you love to drink milk, you're probably a fan of the kind that comes from cows on farms and is sold in grocery stores. However, if you're allergic to this kind of milk, you might drink one of the beverages also known as milk that are made from soaking beans, nuts, rice, or even coconut in water until it becomes rich, white, and milky. To milk is to extract or draw milk from a plant or animal.

Example Sentences

Sometimes, he said, a boss asked him to clean milk tanks using harsh chemicals without protective gear.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

She says she spent a total of eight hours away from her baby who she was breastfeeding at the time because her daughter was allergic to formula milk.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

This suggests that Lystrosaurus did not feed its young with milk like modern mammals do.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Investors hoped the company would appeal to environmentally-conscious and vegetarian-curious consumers — or with anyone concerned about the meat industry and animal welfare — and take off in a fashion similar to plant-based milk.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 12, 2026

Slop’s face curdled up like sour milk, and he pointed a fat, hairy finger down at me.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

Related Words

• bleed
• drain
• evoke
• extort
• extract
• suck
• wring