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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rockstar's eternal cash cow, GTA 5, also sits among the top five performers. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 17 Feb. 2025 Chase Center is an absolute cash cow that has helped the Warriors sustain their exorbitant payrolls. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2025 The growing pains sparked congressional debates decades ago, but the advertising industry's cash cow won out over political quarrels, institutionalizing the contemporary idea of Presidents Day. Avery Lotz, Axios, 17 Feb. 2025 One theory is that the ability to ask an AI chatbot a question and receive an answer threatened Google search, the company’s cash cow. Tom Wheeler, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cash cow

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cash cow was in 1972

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Cite this Entry

“Cash cow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20cow. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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