Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cash cow

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.07 in modern English

Syllables: cash -cow
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A product, service, or enterprise that generates ongoing, high net free cash flows.

noun

Someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money.

Example Sentences

"The managers of a cash cow are primarily responsible for the generation of cash, and they should in principle be willing to give cash away to those other businesses in the portfolio which need it most."
"Hollinger International, the owner of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, claimed in the 175-page filing that its former chief executive had treated the company as his "cash cow"."
"Meanwhile, "Mr Spears is keen on protecting his cash cow, um, wife. Brit's bodyguards have been teaching Kev how to shoot a handgun," the New York Post says."
"Many of the League Championship Series’ 10 teams are backed by billionaires who also own traditional U.S. sports teams. But the sport has not yet become a cash cow. To get in on League of Legends, teams had to pay Riot $10 million to $13 million."

Etymology

An allusion to the dairy cow, who once acquired (and having given birth) may be milked on an ongoing basis.

Inflected Forms

cash cows (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

star dog

Synonyms

moneymaker money-spinner golden goose milch cow

Questions

What does cash cow mean?: A product, service, or enterprise that generates ongoing, high net free cash flows.
Where does cash cow come from?: An allusion to the dairy cow, who once acquired (and having given birth) may be milked on an ongoing basis.

How to pronounce cash cow

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cash cow”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “cash cow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.