Dictionary

cash cow en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

An allusion to the dairy cow, who once acquired (and having given birth) may be milked on an ongoing basis.

Meanings

1. A product, service, or enterprise that generates ongoing, high net free cash flows.
   • The managers of a cash cow are primarily responsible for the generation of cash, and they should in principle be willing to give cash away to those other businesses in the portfolio which need it most. 1980, D. J. Hall, M. A. Saias, “Strategy Follows Structure!”, in Strategic Management Journal, volume 1, number 2, page 181:
2. (broadly) Someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money.
   • Hollinger International, the owner of the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, claimed in the 175-page filing that its former chief executive had treated the company as his "cash cow". 2004 May 11, Dan Milmo, “Press tycoon Lord Black used company as ‘cash cow’, says $1.25bn lawsuit”, in The Guardian, retrieved 30 Oct 2008:
   • Meanwhile, "Mr Spears is keen on protecting his cash cow, um, wife. Brit's bodyguards have been teaching Kev how to shoot a handgun," the New York Post says. 2004 October 5, “Britney's new digs”, in The Age (Australia), retrieved 30 Oct 2008:
   • Many of the League Championship Series’ 10 teams are backed by billionaires who also own traditional U.S. sports teams. But the sport has not yet become a cash cow. To get in on League of Legends, teams had to pay Riot $10 million to $13 million. 2021 January 30, Kellen Browning, “They’re Flocking to America to Make a Fortune Playing Video Games”, in The New York Times:

Forms

Coordinates

star · dog

Synonyms

money-spinner · milch cow · moneymaker · golden goose

Translations (31)

nb melkeku (something that generates free cash flow) · cmn 肥羊 (something that generates free cash flow) · it mucca da mungere (something that generates free cash flow) · cmn 搖錢樹 /摇钱树 (something that generates free cash flow) · pl dojna krowa (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · de Milchkuh (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · da malkeko (something that generates free cash flow) · fr vache à lait (something that generates free cash flow) · de Melkkuh (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · de Dukatenscheißer (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · nl melkkoe (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · fa گاو نقدی (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · sv kassako (something that generates free cash flow) · pl żyła złota (something that generates free cash flow) · fi lypsylehmä (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · es mina (something that generates free cash flow) · fi rahasampo (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · nl melkkoe (something that generates free cash flow) · de Goldesel (something that generates free cash flow) · pl żyła złota (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · da pengemaskine (something that generates free cash flow) · nn mjølkeku (something that generates free cash flow) · fr vache à lait (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · fi lypsylehmä (something that generates free cash flow) · tr sağmal inek (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money) · cmn 肥肉 (something that generates free cash flow) · fi rahasampo (something that generates free cash flow) · ru дойная коро́ва (something that generates free cash flow) · pl dojna krowa (something that generates free cash flow) · nb mjølkeku (something that generates free cash flow) · es mina de oro (someone or something which is a dependable source of appreciable amounts of money)