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

While that’s created a cash cow for Iceland’s tourism industry, it’s also created fresh housing troubles for those who call the country home. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune Europe, 18 June 2024

California has been a cash cow for both Biden and Trump, providing the largest percentage of their fundraising dollars than any other state. —Harriet Blair Rowan, The Mercury News, 6 June 2024

Google, afraid to mess with its cash cow, initially took a more cautious approach. —Katie Robertson, New York Times, 1 June 2024

And unlike most streaming rivals, Disney has a steady revenue stream from its theme parks—a cash cow for the business. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at sense 1