milk

noun

• an opaque white fluid rich in fat and protein, secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young: some new mothers don’t believe they produce enough breast milk
• the milk from cows (or goats or sheep) as consumed by humans:a glass of milk
• the white juice of certain plants:coconut milk
• a creamy-textured liquid with a particular ingredient or use:cleansing milk

verb

• 1draw milk from (a cow or other animal), either by hand or mechanically: two hours later he was up again to milk the cows (as noun milking)I had to start the milking
• [no object] (of an animal, especially a cow) produce milk:the breed does seem to milk better in harder conditions
• extract sap, venom, or other substances from: scientists have found a new way of producing an anti-clotting agent—by milking a leech

• 2exploit or defraud by taking small amounts of money over a period of time:executives milked the health plan’s funds for their personal use
• get all possible advantage from (a situation):the newspapers were milking the story for every possible drop of drama
• elicit a favourable reaction from (an audience) and prolong it:he milked the crowd for every last drop of applause