Meaning & use
heifer
Last updated
UK/ˈhɛfə/
US/ˈhɛfɚ/
Meanings
nouncountable
A young female cow that has not yet had a calf.
Grammar: Plural heifers.
Patterns
- a heifer calf
The farmer bought three heifers at the market.
The heifer gave birth to her first calf.
A young heifer grazed near the fence.
nouncountableoffensiveinformal
A woman, used as a rude insult.
Grammar: Insulting; avoid.
The word heifer has been used as a rude insult.
Using heifer for a woman is offensive.
The comedian was criticized for calling her a heifer.
Word forms
| plural | heifers |
|---|
Common combinations
- young heifer
- A young heifer stood by the gate.
- breeding heifer
- He sold a breeding heifer.
- heifer calf
- A heifer calf was born.
- dairy heifer
- Dairy heifers need good feed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- young cow
- Young cow is the plain description.
- calf
- Calf means a baby cow of either sex.
- cow
- Cow usually means a mature female that has had calves.
Opposites
Commonly confused: heifer or heffer? heifer or hefty?
heifer vs heffer
Heffer is a misspelling of heifer.
heifer vs hefty
Hefty means heavy.
Practice
A heifer is...
Choose one answer.
A heifer is a young female cow that hasn't had a calf.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heifer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.