Meaning & use
milk
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
a white liquid produced by female mammals to feed their young, especially from cows for human consumption
Grammar: Uncountable; use 'some milk' or 'a glass of milk', not 'a milk'.
Patterns
- a glass of milk
- cow's milk
She poured a glass of milk for her son.
This recipe calls for milk and butter.
The milk in the fridge has gone sour.
noununcountable
a white liquid made from plants, such as almonds, soy, or oats, used like animal milk
Grammar: Uncountable; often used with plant names: almond milk, soy milk.
Patterns
- almond milk
- soy milk
Many people prefer oat milk in their coffee.
She bought almond milk because she avoids dairy.
The café offers soy milk as an alternative.
verbtransitive
to take milk from a cow or other animal
Grammar: Takes an object: milk a cow.
Patterns
- milk a cow
- milk an animal
He milks the cows every morning before dawn.
The farmer taught us how to milk a goat.
She milked the cow and carried the bucket to the house.
verbtransitiveinformal
to get as much advantage or money as possible from a situation or person
Grammar: Takes an object; often used with 'for': milk something for all it's worth.
Patterns
- milk something for something
- milk a situation
The company is milking the success of its first product.
He milked the situation for all it was worth.
Don't let them milk you for extra fees.
Word forms
| third person singular | milks |
|---|---|
| past tense | milked |
| past participle | milked |
| -ing form | milking |
Common combinations
- cow's milk
- Some children are allergic to cow's milk.
- a glass of milk
- He drank a glass of milk with his cookies.
- milk and honey
- The land was described as flowing with milk and honey.
- milk chocolate
- She prefers milk chocolate to dark chocolate.
- milk a cow
- The farmer milks a cow twice a day.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dairy
- Dairy refers to milk products in general; milk is the specific liquid.
Word family
Practice
Would you like _____ in your coffee?
Choose one answer.
Milk is uncountable, so you say 'milk' without an article. 'A milk' and 'milks' are not used in this sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “milk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.