cow
gb/kˈaʊ/ us/kˈaʊ/
A1
English
~ 7200
szarvasmarha, tehén, megfélemlít, kifejlett nőstény
NOUN
A1
1
szarvasmarha
B1
Usage pattern:
a/the cow; [number] cows in [a place]
The farmer keeps more than fifty cows on his land.
A gazda több mint ötven szarvasmarhát tart a földjén.
Cows were grazing quietly in the field as the sun went down.
A szarvasmarhák csendesen legeltek a mezőn, miközben lement a nap.
The price of beef has risen because many cows were lost in the drought.
They decided to raise cows and chickens after moving to the countryside.
Learner examples
There are many cows on that farm.
Sok szarvasmarha van abban a gazdaságban.
The cow eats grass every day.
A szarvasmarha mindennap füvet eszik.
We saw black and white cows near the road.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "a cattle" instead of "a cow". Use "cow" for one animal and "cattle" for a group of cows and bulls. Also, in science and farming, "cow" is just the female, but in everyday speech many people use "cow" for the animal in general.
Meaning
large farm animal for milk or meat
Collocations
herd of cows
|dairy cows
|milk cows
|cows grazing
|grass-fed cows
Synonyms
cattle (Usually a collective word for cows and bulls together; more common in farming or business contexts than in everyday speech.)
Themes
animals
|farming
|food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
A large farm animal that people keep for milk or meat.
A large domesticated bovine farm animal, kept for its milk, meat, or as livestock.
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
2
tehén
A1
Usage pattern:
a/the cow and her calf; bulls and cows
The farmer keeps one bull and several cows for breeding.
A gazda egy bikát és több tehenet tart tenyésztésre.
The cow and her calf were moved to a separate pen for observation.
A tehenet és a borját megfigyelés céljából külön karámba vitték.
Older cows are often sold when their milk production falls.
The vet examined each pregnant cow before the calving season began.
Learner examples
The bull and the cow live in the same field.
A bika és a tehén ugyanazon a legelőn él.
The cow feeds her calf with milk.
A tehén tejjel táplálja a borját.
They keep many cows to sell their milk.
Common mistake:
Learners often do not realize that in farming and science a "cow" is only the adult female. In everyday talk this difference is not very important, but in technical or farming contexts it is useful to know that bulls are male and cows are female.
Meaning
adult female of domestic cattle
Collocations
cow and calf
|bulls and cows
|pregnant cow
|dairy cow
|beef cow
Synonyms
heifer (A young female cow, usually one that has not yet had a calf; more specific and technical.)
Antonyms
bull (The adult male of cattle, contrasting with the adult female "cow".)
Themes
animals
|farming
|science
|food_drink
|daily_life
Definition
An adult female cow, used especially for giving milk or having calves.
An adult female of domestic cattle, especially one kept for producing milk or calves.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
3
tehén
B2
Usage pattern:
[adjective] cow; you cow
"You stupid cow!" he shouted, instantly regretting his words.
„Te hülye tehén!” kiáltotta, és azonnal megbánta a szavait.
I felt awful after calling her a cow during the argument.
Szörnyen éreztem magam, amiért a vita közben tehénnek neveztem.
He joked that his boss was a hard-working cow, which she did not find funny at all.
Don't be such a miserable cow—try to enjoy the party.
Learner examples
He called her a cow, and she was very angry.
A férfi tehénnek nevezte a nőt, mire ő nagyon dühös lett.
The word "cow" for a woman is rude.
A „tehén” szó nőre használva sértő.
She was upset because someone at work called her a stupid cow.
Common mistake:
Learners may think "cow" is always a neutral word. When used about a woman, it is an insult and can sound rude or offensive. It is safer not to use this meaning unless you clearly understand the social situation.
Meaning
rude word for a disliked woman
Collocations
stupid cow
|silly cow
|miserable cow
|you cow
|fat cow
Synonyms
bitch (A much more vulgar and offensive insult for a woman; stronger and ruder than "cow".)
Antonyms
sweetheart (An affectionate term for a kind or liked person, the opposite tone of an insult like "cow".)
Themes
people
|insults
|emotions
|communication
|relationships
Definition
A rude word for a woman you do not like, for example because she is unkind or annoying.
An insulting word for a woman who is strongly disliked, especially one seen as stupid, unpleasant, or annoying.
VERB
B2
4
megfélemlít
B2
Usage pattern:
to cow [someone]; to be cowed by [someone/something]
The protesters refused to be cowed by the heavy police presence.
A tüntetők a jelentős rendőri jelenlét ellenére sem hagyták magukat megfélemlíteni.
He tried to cow the employees into accepting the new contract.
Megpróbálta megfélemlítéssel rávenni az alkalmazottakat, hogy elfogadják az új szerződést.
The government hopes that harsh sentences will cow other potential offenders.
She was not easily cowed by criticism from her colleagues.
Learner examples
The students were not cowed by the strict teacher.
A szigorú tanár nem félemlítette meg a diákokat.
The workers refused to be cowed by the company.
A dolgozók nem hagyták, hogy a cég megfélemlítse őket.
They tried to cow him with threats, but he stayed calm.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the verb "to cow" with the noun "cow" and write sentences like "He cowed in the field". As a verb, it must take a person or group as an object ("to cow someone") or be used in the passive ("to be cowed by").
Meaning
to intimidate someone into submission
Collocations
cowed into silence
|cowed by threats
|easily cowed
|attempt to cow the opposition
|too proud to be cowed
Synonyms
intimidate (Very close in meaning; slightly more common and neutral in modern English.)
|
bully (Emphasizes repeated, aggressive behavior more than the resulting fear.)
|
browbeat (Suggests heavy, often verbal pressure to force someone to agree or submit.)
Antonyms
encourage (To give someone confidence instead of taking it away.)
|
embolden (To make someone braver and more willing to act, the opposite of cowing them.)
Themes
emotions
|power
|conflict
|communication
|relationships
Definition
To make someone feel very afraid so that they do not fight back or speak against you.
To frighten or intimidate someone so much that they lose their confidence and are unwilling to resist or oppose.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
tehén
C1
Usage pattern:
a cow and her calf; elephant cows
The documentary showed a whale cow and her calf swimming together.
A dokumentumfilm egy bálnatehenet és a borját mutatta, amint együtt úsztak.
An adult cow elephant may stay with her herd for her entire life.
Egy kifejlett elefánttehén akár egész életében a csordájával maradhat.
Researchers tracked a manatee cow and her newborn calf along the coast.
The park rangers asked visitors to stay away from the cow and calf during the breeding season.
Learner examples
The adult female whale is called a cow.
A kifejlett nőstény bálnát bálnatehénnek hívják.
A cow and her calf swam near the boat.
Egy bálnatehén és a borja úszott a hajó közelében.
In some animals, the male is a bull and the female is a cow.
Common mistake:
Learners may think that "cow" is only used for farm animals. In biology and nature programs, it can also mean the adult female of some large wild animals, like whales or elephants.
Meaning
adult female whale, elephant, etc.
Collocations
elephant cow
|whale cow
|sea cow and calf
|a cow and her calf
Synonyms
female (A general word for the sex that can have babies; less specific than the zoological term "cow".)
Antonyms
bull (In many of these species, the adult male is called a "bull", contrasting with the female "cow".)
Themes
animals
|science
|nature
Definition
The adult female of some large wild animals, for example whales or elephants.
An adult female of certain large wild mammal species, such as whales, elephants, and manatees.
Grammar
Dictionary form
cow
IPA
GB/kˈaʊ/
US/kˈaʊ/
Syllables & stress
cow (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (cow)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: cow
- Plural: cows
Verb
- Base: cow
- 3rd Person Singular: cows
- Present Participle: cowing
- Past: cowed
Word family
Expressions
cow tipping
1/kˈaʊ tˈɪpɪŋ/
fixed phrase
informal
prank of pushing over cows
A prank that people say they do at night, where they try to push a standing cow so that it falls over (often talked about, but not usually real).
Examples
- The movie includes a silly scene about teenagers going cow tipping.
- He claimed he went cow tipping as a kid, but most of us didn’t believe him.
- Cow tipping is often mentioned in jokes about life in the countryside.
have a cow
1/hˈæv ə kˈaʊ/
idiom
informal
become very upset or angry
To get very angry, upset, or worried about something, often more than is necessary.
Examples
- My parents will have a cow if they see this mess in the kitchen.
- Don’t have a cow—it’s only a small scratch on the car.
- She practically had a cow when she found out we were late again.
mad cow disease
1/mˈæd kˈaʊ dɪzˈiz/
fixed phrase
technical
serious brain disease in cattle (BSE)
A serious brain disease in cows that can spread through food and can also cause a similar deadly disease in humans.
Examples
- The news reported a new case of mad cow disease on a farm in the region.
- Fears about mad cow disease led to strict controls on cattle feed.
- Mad cow disease caused a major crisis in the beef industry in the 1990s.
cash cow
1/kˈæʃ kˈaʊ/
idiom
informal
Profitable business/product source
A business or product that makes a lot of profit regularly without much work.
Examples
- That software has been the company's cash cow for years.
- The franchise is their biggest cash cow.
cash cow
2/kˈæʃ kˈaʊ/
idiom
very profitable, low-effort product
A product or business that brings in a lot of money regularly, usually without needing much extra work or investment.
Examples
- The company’s streaming service has become its main cash cow.
- They treat the luxury brand as a cash cow to fund new projects.
- For many years, the soft drink division was the firm’s reliable cash cow.
holy cow
1/hˈoʊli kˈaʊ/
idiom
informal
Exclamation of surprise or shock
You say this when you are very surprised or shocked.
Examples
- Holy cow! That’s the biggest pizza I’ve ever seen.
- Holy cow, that’s the biggest pizza I’ve ever seen!
- Holy cow, I didn’t expect you here!
- Holy cow, I didn’t expect you to arrive so early.
- "Holy cow!" she shouted when she saw the exam results.
sacred cow
1/sˈeɪkɹɪd kˈaʊ/
idiom
belief or custom that cannot be questioned
A belief, custom, or thing that people do not want to change or talk badly about, even if change might be good.
Examples
- In that company, long working hours are a sacred cow that no manager dares to challenge.
- In that company, long meetings are a sacred cow that no one dares to challenge.
- The film questions many of society's sacred cows, including marriage and traditional gender roles.
- Free parking had become a sacred cow in the city’s politics.
- There should be no sacred cows in politics; every policy must be open to debate.
- The public health system is often treated as a sacred cow by many voters.
till the cows come home
1/tˈɪl ðə kˈaʊz kˈʌm hˈoʊm/
idiom
informal
for a very long time
For a very long time, or for as long as you like, often with no clear ending.
Examples
- You can argue till the cows come home, but it won’t change my mind.
- They could play that game till the cows come home and never get bored.
- We can wait for the prices to fall till the cows come home, but it may never happen.
till the cows come home
2/tˈɪl ðə kˈaʊz kˈʌm hˈoʊm/
idiom
informal
For a very long time
For a very long or endless time.
Examples
- You can argue till the cows come home, but I won’t change my mind.
- They could play video games till the cows come home.