noun🎓 English idiom

cash cow

a reliable, steady source of income

What it means

A cash cow is a product, service, or business that generates a consistent and strong stream of profit over a long period, often funding less profitable activities. The term is core business vocabulary and is used about flagship products, subscription services, and dominant market positions.

Examples

  • That franchise is a real cash cow for the studio.
  • Subscription software has become the company's main cash cow.
  • We need new bets — we can't rely on one cash cow forever.
  • The old textbook is still a quiet cash cow for the publisher.

Where it comes from

Originally a literal term in dairy farming for a cow kept primarily to produce milk for sale. It was popularized as a business metaphor in the 1970s by the Boston Consulting Group's growth-share matrix, which labels mature, high-share, low-growth products 'cash cows.'

Related idioms

#gravy train#nest egg#bottom line#fat cat

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