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.
But the Cubs broke off to form the Marquee Sports Network in 2020, and regional sports networks, long the cash cow of pay TV, have struggled financially in recent years as cord-cutting takes its toll on the cable bundle. Chicago Tribune, 21 Oct. 2024 Emirates is the largest user of the 777 jet family, a long-distance workhorse whose original success has been clouded by delays to its successor and the crisis engulfing Boeing’s smaller 737 cash cow over safety and quality issues. Reuters, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2024 The state is a cash cow for both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Ben Poston, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024 Apple’s solid balance sheet and services business cash cow should also help the stock maintain a premium valuation even in an uncertain market. Trefis Team, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 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

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 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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