dairy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Milk and foods made from milk, such as cheese, butter, and yogurt.

   Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural when talking about these foods in general: I don't eat dairy.

   Patterns

   • eat dairy
   • avoid dairy
   • dairy products
   • a dairy product

   She stopped eating dairy because it upset her stomach.

   This recipe contains no dairy, so it's safe for vegans.

   The doctor asked him to cut down on dairy.

2. 2nouncountable

   A place where milk is kept and used to make butter and cheese.

   Grammar: Can be used as a countable noun: a dairy, the dairy, dairies.

   Patterns

   • a dairy
   • the dairy
   • work at a dairy

   The family has run a dairy for three generations.

   He worked at the local dairy, making cheese and butter.

   The old dairy is now a small museum.

3. 3adjectivebefore a noun

   Relating to milk production or to products made from milk.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: dairy farm, dairy cow, dairy products.

   Patterns

   • dairy farm
   • dairy cow
   • dairy products
   • dairy industry

   They live on a dairy farm in the countryside.

   The dairy industry is important in this region.

   Dairy cows need a lot of care.

Word forms

Common combinations

dairy products

The store sells dairy products like milk and cheese.

dairy farm

My uncle owns a dairy farm.

dairy cow

A dairy cow can produce many liters of milk a day.

dairy-free

This ice cream is dairy-free.

dairy aisle

You'll find butter in the dairy aisle.

Synonyms and how they differ

milk products

A plain descriptive phrase; dairy is the usual shorter term in shops and labels.

Word family

dairying noun

The business of producing milk and milk products.

dairy-free adjective

Containing no milk or milk products.

Commonly confused: dairy or diary?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dairy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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