cash cow

noun

1
: a consistently profitable business, property, or product whose profits are used to finance a company's investments in other areas
2
: one regarded or exploited as a reliable source of money
a singer deemed a cash cow for the record label

Examples of cash cow in a Sentence

The football team was a cash cow for the university. The movie studio saw the actress as a cash cow.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, it’s been a battle for Zimbabwe to play Test cricket due to soaring financial costs associated with hosting the five-day format and reluctance from cash cows England, India and Australia to play them. — Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 Listen · 22:44 min Vickie Segar was there, with the blessing of the university’s athletic department, to pitch them on turning their TikTok and Instagram accounts into cash cows. — Cornell Watson, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025 But what about Nintendo’s other sacred cash cow, Link? — Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025 Their vehement objections to DOGE are essentially a result of the misguided assumption that the federal cash cow is unlimited and should fund Maryland’s economic lifestyle ad infinitum. — Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cash cow

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cash cow was in 1972

Rhymes for cash cow

See All Rhymes for cash cow

Browse Nearby Words

cash contract
cash cow
cash credit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cash cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20cow. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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