milk

plural milks

1. uncountableA white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young. From certain animals, especially cows, it is also called dairy milk and is a common food for humans as a beverage or used to produce various dairy products such as butter, cheese, and yogurt.

   Skyr is a product made of curdled milk.

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   2007 September 24, Chris Horseman (interviewee), Emily Harris (reporter), “Global Dairy Demand Drives Up Prices”, Morning Edition, National Public Radio […] there's going to be that much less milk available to cover any other uses. Which means whether it's liquid milk or whether it's [milk that's been turned into] cheese or yogurt, the price gets pulled up right across the board.

   In the West it's fairly normal to drink milk in various forms into adulthood.

   2017, Adam Rutherford, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, The Experiment, →ISBN, page 75

   Different milks have varying amounts of fats, proteins, and lactose, and arguments abound over the relative merits and possible harms of each. For many centuries, milk with a high fat content was considered to be the best, and low-fat or skimmed milk was considered fraudulent—in fact, selling it was often illegal. Cow breeds that produce milk with a high fat content, such as Ayrshires, Jerseys, and Guernseys, have always been valued, especially for cheesemaking.

   2018, Mark Kurlansky, “Chapter 1: The First Taste of Sweetness”, in Milk!: A 10,000-Year Food Fracas, Bloomsbury, →ISBN

   Synonyms: dairy milk, cowmilk, cow's milk

2. broadlyuncountableA white (or whitish) liquid obtained from a vegetable source such as almonds, coconuts, oats, rice, or soy beans.

   For environmentally minded consumers, the news is hard to swallow: almond milk is not healthy for the planet and the popular milk substitute is especially hard on bees.

   2020 January 29, Annette McGivney, “Almonds are out. Dairy is a disaster. So what milk should we drink?”, in The Guardian

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   Where it does fall down, however, is its nutritional value. While oats are largely a healthy grain to include in your diet, the milk is highly diluted with water, giving it little nutritional value.

   2018 September 16, Alexandra Spring, “'Milk' mania: why most alternatives aren't great – but camel milk just might be”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: m*lk, mylk, non-dairy milk, plant milk

3. countableinformalAn individual serving of milk.

   Table three ordered three milks.

4. countableinvariableAn individual portion of milk, such as found in a creamer, for tea and coffee.

   I take my tea with two milk and two sugar.

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   I take my tea with two milks and two sugars.

   She just sat there drinking cup after cup of strong coffee, with two milks and two sugars.

   2014, Don Eggspuehler, Teachings From Pop, Author House, →ISBN, page 459

   Five minutes later, he returned with Justin's large coffee with two milk and two sweeteners and a black coffee for himself.

   2015, Carolyn Arnold, City of Gold: (Mathew Connor Adventure Series Book 1), Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc., →ISBN

   Mrs. Dale huffed up to the counter and fired her battle-axe stare at the attendant. “One medium tea. ... Two double-doubles, and one with two milk and two sweeteners.”

   2019, Maggie Blackbird, Redeemed: The Matawapit Family Series, #1, eXtasy Books, →ISBN, page 349

   She placed on her desk a brown paper bag; it held her breakfast, cream cheese on a toasted bagel and coffee with two milks and one sugar.

   2020, John Mitton, Tedmund and the Murdered Heiress, Page Publishing, Inc, →ISBN

5. countableuncountableA light white color inspired by the color of milk, usually cow's milk.
6. countableuncountableThe ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster.
7. slanguncountablevulgarSemen.

present singular third person milks · participle present milking · participle past milked · past milked

1. transitiveTo express milk from (a mammal, especially a cow).

   The farmer milked his cows.

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   I haue giuen Sucke, and know / How tender 'tis to loue the Babe that milkes me[…]

   c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vii], page 135, column 2

2. intransitivetransitiveTo draw (milk) from the breasts or udder.

   to milk wholesome milk from healthy cows

3. intransitiveOf a dairy cow, to produce milk.

   ‘The boss’s cows must be milking well,’ he said, ‘or has he added to his herd?’

   1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, published 1970, page 62

4. intransitiveraretransitiveTo secrete (milk) from the breasts or udder.

   The black cow milking white milk, black hen on the nest laying white eggs.

   1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 2, page 84

5. transitiveTo express a liquid from a creature.

   The Australian government has a team that regularly milks various snakes for venom to use creating serums and antivenoms.

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   He captures animals for zoos around the world... and milks cobra snakes for their venom.

   1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless Summer

6. figurativelytransitiveTo make excessive use of (a particular point in speech or writing, a source of funds, etc.); to exploit; to take advantage of (something).

   When the audience began laughing, the comedian milked the joke for more laughs.

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   July 21, 1877, "The Block in the Courts" in The Spectator They [the lawyers] milk an unfortunate estate as regularly as a dairyman does his stock.

   If nothing else, José Mourinho can be grateful there was no mutiny. He still heard his name being sung and at the final whistle Old Trafford was not too unkind on the manager or his players. He milked it, too, marching over to the Stretford End to thank them for their generosity.

   2018 August 27, Daniel Taylor, “Lucas Moura double for Spurs deepens gloom at Manchester United”, in The Guardian (London)

7. To give off small gas bubbles during the final part of the charging operation.
8. transitivevulgarBDSMTo masturbate a male to ejaculation, especially for the amusement or satisfaction of the masturbator rather than the person masturbated.

   Controlled milking can actually establish and consolidate a mistress’s dominance over her sub rather than diminish it.

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   “No, no, no! When a male is in chas-ti-ty,” (Clive always drew out this word and also slavery, emphasizing every syllable to give it extra importance) “he should receive regular milking to maintain good hygiene.” (Yet more kinky behavior cloaked as healthy living.) “Milking helps flush out the toxins which accumulate within the prostate gland of a chaste male.”

   2015, Joyce Snyder, Mistress Pussycat: Adventures with Submissive Men in the World of Femdom, Headpress, →ISBN

   Synonyms: masturbate

plural Milks

1. A surname.

   American gay rights activist Harvey Milk was known for keeping his face and name on the front pages of San Francisco’s newspapers.

   2025 June 4, Andy Rose, “Gay rights icon Harvey Milk’s legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship”, in CNN