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
Azure's growth path may outpace the Productivity segment to become the new cash cow for Microsoft.
—
Gurufocus, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Airlines’ loyalty programs are a cash cow, and getting the balance right between perks such as free upgrades and bringing in cash is key.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024
Two of the tech titan’s lingering cash cows—Amazon Web Services and its advertising segment—grew at 19 percent a piece to $27.5 billion and $14.3 billion, respectively.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
New Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg is grappling with a balance sheet strained by years of turmoil and the fallout from a strike, now in its seventh week, that is crippling manufacturing of the company’s main cash cow, the 737 Max jetliner.
—Julie Johnsson, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cash cow 
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Gurufocus, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Airlines’ loyalty programs are a cash cow, and getting the balance right between perks such as free upgrades and bringing in cash is key.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2024
Two of the tech titan’s lingering cash cows—Amazon Web Services and its advertising segment—grew at 19 percent a piece to $27.5 billion and $14.3 billion, respectively.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 1 Nov. 2024
New Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg is grappling with a balance sheet strained by years of turmoil and the fallout from a strike, now in its seventh week, that is crippling manufacturing of the company’s main cash cow, the 737 Max jetliner.
—Julie Johnsson, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cash cow
Dictionary Entries Near cash cow
Cite this Entry
“Cash cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20cow. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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