dairy
gb/dˈɛɹi/ us/dˈɛɹi/
A2
English
~ 6900
tejtermék, tejipari, tejelő, tejtermelő, tejgazdaság, tehenészet, tejüzem, tejtermékes részleg, kisbolt
NOUN
A2
1
tejtermék
B1
Usage pattern:
to eat/avoid/cut out [dairy]
She gave up dairy because it upsets her stomach.
Elhagyta az étrendjéből a tejtermékeket, mert bántják a gyomrát.
Many people with lactose intolerance still eat some dairy.
Sok laktózérzékeny ember mégis fogyaszt valamennyi tejterméket.
The recipe can be made with or without dairy.
They sell plant-based versions of most traditional dairy.
I try to limit dairy in my diet for health reasons.
Learner examples
I don't eat dairy because I am allergic to milk.
Nem eszem tejtermékeket, mert allergiás vagyok a tejre.
He loves dairy, especially cheese and ice cream.
Imádja a tejtermékeket, különösen a sajtot és a fagylaltot.
This cake has no dairy, so it is safe for vegans.
Some people cannot drink milk or eat dairy.
You can replace dairy with soy milk in this soup.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the spelling and meaning of 'dairy' (milk products) with 'diary' (a personal notebook). Another mistake is using it as a countable noun (*'two dairies' meaning 'two yogurts'); for this sense it is usually uncountable, or used in the phrase 'dairy products'.
Meaning
foods made from milk
Collocations
eat dairy
|avoid dairy
|cut out dairy
|dairy allergy
|dairy consumption
|dairy foods
Synonyms
milk products (More explicit and slightly more formal; often used in technical or nutritional contexts.)
|
dairy products (Very common fixed phrase that lists the products more clearly than just 'dairy'.)
Antonyms
non-dairy (Describes foods that do not contain any milk or milk products.)
Themes
food
|health
|daily life
|food_drink
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Milk and foods made from milk, like cheese, butter, and yogurt.
Milk and food products made from milk, such as cheese, butter, and yogurt, considered together as a type of food.
A2
2
Usage pattern:
[dairy] [noun]
She works in the dairy industry as a quality inspector.
Minőségellenőrként dolgozik a tejiparban.
Dairy cows are specially bred to produce a lot of milk.
A tejelő teheneket kifejezetten úgy tenyésztik, hogy sok tejet adjanak.
The government introduced new rules for dairy farmers.
They offer many dairy alternatives, such as oat and almond drinks.
He follows a dairy diet that is low in fat.
Learner examples
Yogurt and cheese are dairy products.
A joghurt és a sajt tejtermékek.
My uncle is a dairy farmer.
A nagybátyám tejtermelő gazda.
The dairy industry is very important in this country.
Dairy cows live on the farm behind our house.
She buys dairy milk, not plant milk.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'dairy' alone as an adjective when they mean 'dairy-free' (e.g. *'I need a dairy diet' when they mean a diet without dairy). Also, some use 'dairy' where 'milk' is more natural (e.g. *'I poured dairy into my coffee' instead of 'milk').
Meaning
related to milk or its products
Collocations
dairy products
|dairy cows
|dairy farmer
|dairy industry
|dairy allergy
|dairy company
Synonyms
milk-based (Focuses more on food that actually contains milk, less on the industry or business.)
Antonyms
dairy-free (Describes foods or diets that contain no milk or milk products.)
Themes
food
|farming
|business
|food_drink
|core_vocabulary
Definition
About milk, foods from milk, or the work of making and selling them.
Relating to milk or milk products, or to the business of producing and selling them.
NOUN
B1
3
Usage pattern:
to work at/in a [dairy]
Her grandparents ran a small dairy in the countryside.
A nagyszülei egy kis tehenészetet vezettek vidéken.
He got a summer job at the local dairy, packing cheese.
Nyári munkát kapott a helyi tejüzemben, ahol sajtot csomagolt.
The town grew up around a large dairy that opened in the 1950s.
The dairy closed after milk prices fell sharply.
They supply milk from their dairy to several nearby schools.
Learner examples
My cousin works at a dairy near the village.
Az unokatestvérem egy falu melletti tehenészetben dolgozik.
The dairy keeps many cows for milk.
A tehenészetben sok tehenet tartanak tejtermelésre.
This cheese comes from a family dairy.
The town has a big dairy that sells milk and butter.
Her father owns a dairy and a small shop.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with sense #1 and say things like *'I ate a dairy' when they mean they ate dairy products. In this sense, 'a dairy' is a place or business, not the food itself.
Meaning
farm or business for milk
Collocations
large dairy
|family dairy
|local dairy
|own a dairy
|work at a dairy
|dairy cooperative
Synonyms
dairy farm (More specific to the farm where cows are kept, not the processing factory or company.)
|
creamery (Often used for a place where milk is processed into products like butter and cheese; somewhat regional or old-fashioned in some areas.)
Antonyms
crop farm (A farm that grows plants rather than keeping animals for milk production.)
Themes
farming
|business
|food
|food_drink
|work
Definition
A place or business where people keep cows for milk, or make and sell milk products.
A farm, factory, or business that produces, processes, or sells milk and milk products.
NOUN
B1
4
Usage pattern:
in the [dairy] / go to the [dairy]
You’ll find the yogurt in the dairy at the back of the store.
A joghurtot a bolt hátsó részében, a tejtermékes részlegen találod.
He walked past the dairy to get to the frozen foods.
Elment a tejtermékes részleg mellett, hogy a fagyasztott élelmiszerekhez jusson.
The dairy was almost empty because of the holiday rush.
She works in the dairy, restocking milk and cheese.
Plant-based milks are now placed next to cow’s milk in the dairy.
Learner examples
The milk is in the dairy at the back.
A tej hátul van, a tejtermékes részlegen.
Please get some butter from the dairy.
Kérlek, hozz egy kis vajat a tejtermékes részlegről.
She works in the dairy at the supermarket.
The cheese is not here; look in the dairy.
We stopped in the dairy to buy yogurt.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think 'dairy' always means the food, not realizing it can also mean the place in a store. In many languages this is expressed with a word like 'section' or 'department', which may cause confusion.
Meaning
supermarket section for milk products
Collocations
dairy aisle
|dairy section
|frozen and dairy
|produce and dairy
|head to the dairy
|over by the dairy
Synonyms
dairy section (Slightly longer but more explicit; very common in store signage and announcements.)
Antonyms
produce section (A different major part of a supermarket, often contrasted with refrigerated or packaged sections.)
Themes
shopping
|food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The area in a supermarket where you find milk, cheese, butter, and similar foods.
The part of a store or supermarket where milk and milk products are displayed and sold.
NOUN
C1
5
kisbolt
A2
Usage pattern:
go to the [dairy]
On the way home, we stopped at the dairy for ice creams.
Hazafelé megálltunk a kisboltban jégkrémért.
She works evenings at the dairy on the corner.
Esténként a sarki kisboltban dolgozik.
The local dairy was robbed late last night.
Kids often go to the dairy after school to buy snacks.
There’s a dairy just across the road if you need milk.
Learner examples
In New Zealand, many people buy milk at the dairy.
Új-Zélandon sokan a kisboltban vesznek tejet.
The dairy near my house opens very early.
A házamhoz közeli kisbolt nagyon korán nyit.
He got a job at the dairy on our street.
We walked to the dairy to buy some bread.
There is a small dairy next to the bus stop.
Common mistake:
Outside New Zealand, learners may not recognize this regional use and may misunderstand sentences like 'I’m going to the dairy.' They might also assume it always refers to a place connected only to milk, not a general small shop.
Meaning
small local shop (New Zealand)
Collocations
local dairy
|corner dairy
|dairy owner
|walk down to the dairy
|buy something from the dairy
|neighbourhood dairy
Synonyms
corner shop (Similar type of small local shop, but this term is more common in British English than specifically New Zealand English.)
|
convenience store (Broader and more international term; can describe similar stores in many countries, not only New Zealand.)
Antonyms
supermarket (A much larger store with a wide range of goods, in contrast to a small neighbourhood dairy.)
Themes
shopping
|daily life
|regional
|daily_life
|food_drink
|travel
Definition
In New Zealand, a small shop near houses that sells milk, snacks, and other simple things.
In New Zealand English, a small local shop that sells milk, snacks, and everyday items, often open long hours.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dairy
IPA
GB/dˈɛɹi/
US/dˈɛɹi/
Syllables & stress
dairy (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dairy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dairy
- Plural: dairies
Word family
Forms
dairies
noun
Negative and opposite forms
non-dairy
adjective
dairy-free
adjective
Advanced or less common
dairying
noun
Expressions
dairy aisle
1/dˈɛɹi ˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
supermarket aisle for milk products
The row or area in a supermarket where milk and foods from milk are on the shelves or in fridges.
Examples
- You’ll find the butter in the dairy aisle.
- The dairy aisle was crowded before the holiday weekend.
- They moved the plant-based drinks into the dairy aisle.
dairy farm
1/dˈɛɹi fˈɑɹm/
fixed phrase
farm that produces milk
A farm where people keep cows or other animals to get milk and sell it.
Examples
- He grew up on a small dairy farm in the countryside.
- The dairy farm supplies milk to several local schools.
- Modern dairy farms often use machines to milk the cows.
dairy farmer
1/dˈɛɹi fˈɑɹmɚ/
fixed phrase
person who runs a dairy farm
A person who owns or works on a dairy farm and produces milk.
Examples
- Her father is a dairy farmer with over two hundred cows.
- Dairy farmers are worried about low milk prices.
- The government met with dairy farmers to discuss new regulations.
dairy industry
1/dˈɛɹi ˈɪndəstɹi/
fixed phrase
milk production business sector
All the companies and farms that make and sell milk and foods from milk.
Examples
- The dairy industry is facing pressure to reduce its environmental impact.
- New technology is changing the dairy industry worldwide.
- Exports are an important part of the country’s dairy industry.
dairy products
1/dˈɛɹi pɹˈɑdʌkts/
fixed phrase
foods made from milk
Foods that are made from milk, like cheese, butter, yogurt, and cream.
Examples
- She avoids all dairy products because of her allergy.
- Dairy products are a major source of calcium in many diets.
- The doctor told him to cut down on fatty dairy products.
dairy-free
1/dˈɛɹi fɹˈi/
fixed phrase
containing no milk products
Not having any milk or foods made from milk.
Examples
- They served a dairy-free cake for guests with allergies.
- I’m looking for a dairy-free cheese alternative.
- This restaurant has many dairy-free options on the menu.
non-dairy
1/nˈɑn dˈɛɹi/
fixed phrase
made without milk
Made without milk or foods from milk, even if it looks or tastes creamy.
Examples
- She prefers non-dairy milk like soy or oat milk.
- The dessert menu clearly marks non-dairy choices.
- He bought non-dairy ice cream for his lactose-intolerant friend.