Meaning & use
milking dry
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Meaning
phraseidiom
the act of taking all the milk from an animal, or using up all the resources or money from something
Grammar: The phrase is often used as a gerund or present participle. As a metaphor, it is usually followed by 'of' when the source is mentioned.
Patterns
- milking something dry
- milking someone dry
The farmer is milking the cows dry before winter.
The company was accused of milking the system dry for profits.
He felt like his boss was milking him dry with unpaid overtime.
Common combinations
- milking the system dry
- Corrupt officials were milking the system dry.
- milking a cow dry
- She is milking a cow dry every morning.
- milking someone dry
- The scammer was milking elderly people dry.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exhausting
- Means using something up completely, but is more general and not limited to milk or resources.
- draining
- Similar in the sense of removing all resources, but often implies a gradual process.
Opposites
Practice
What does 'milking dry' mean in the sentence: 'The investors were milking the company dry'?
Choose one answer.
'Milking dry' means extracting all value or resources. The other options are the opposite of this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “milking dry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.