cow
cow — 名詞
1. a large adult female animal that people keep on farms, raised for its milk and m
母牛
農場飼養的產奶產肉大型動物
a large adult female animal that people keep on farms, raised for its milk and meat
The farmer's cows graze in the field behind the old red barn.
農場主人的母牛在舊紅穀倉後面的田野裡吃草。
cows graze in [location] — common pasture pattern
Every morning before sunrise, Anjali milks the cows in the wooden shed.
Anjali 每天天亮前就在木頭棚子裡擠牛奶。
milks the cows — daily farm routine
Esteban bought fresh cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows.
Esteban 買了用牧草飼養的母牛奶所做的新鮮起司。
During winter, the cows stay inside the barn where Layla keeps them warm and dry.
到了冬天，母牛待在穀倉裡，Layla 會讓牠們保持溫暖乾燥。
文法句型
a cow
the cows
[number] cows
常見錯誤
2. for very big wild animals like elephants, whales, and seals, the adult female is
雌性
象、鯨等大型動物的成年雌性
for very big wild animals like elephants, whales, and seals, the adult female is known as a cow
A cow elephant can weigh more than five thousand kilograms.
一頭雌象可以重達五千多公斤。
cow + species — 'cow elephant' denotes adult female
Marine biologists spotted a cow whale swimming with her calf near the coast.
海洋生物學家目擊一頭母鯨帶著幼鯨在海岸附近游泳。
cow [species] + with calf — mother-offspring pairing
The cow seal lay on the beach, resting after giving birth to her pup.
那頭母海豹躺在沙灘上，產下幼崽後正在休息。
Unlike bulls, cow elephants stay together in family groups led by the oldest female.
與公象不同，母象通常以最年長的雌性為首，群居在一起。
- female
broader and not specific to large mammals; used for any species
- bull
the adult male of large mammals such as elephants and whales
文法句型
a cow [species]
the cow [species]
用法筆記
In this sense, 'cow' must be paired with the species name ('cow elephant', 'cow whale', 'cow seal'). Using 'cow' alone in this sense is unnatural — the species name provides the context that distinguishes this sense from sense 1.
常見錯誤
3. a rude and offensive way to refer to a woman, suggesting she is mean, stupid, or
潑婦；母夜叉
對不友善女性的侮辱性稱呼
a rude and offensive way to refer to a woman, suggesting she is mean, stupid, or unpleasant — this word causes serious offense and should be avoided
Folake called her neighbour a stupid cow during the argument about the fence.
Folake 為了圍籬的事和鄰居吵架時，罵了對方一聲蠢母牛。
insult: 'stupid cow' — strongly offensive and degrading
Amira told Jack not to use the word 'cow' as an insult toward anyone.
Amira 告訴 Jack 不要用『cow』這個詞來侮辱別人。
The teacher warned her students that 'cow' is a hurtful name for a woman.
老師告誡學生，用『cow』稱呼女性很傷人。
During a street argument, Ravi's aunt scolded the neighbour for calling her a cow in front of the children.
Ravi 的阿姨在街頭吵架時大罵鄰居，因為對方當著孩子的面叫她『母牛』。
文法句型
[adjective] cow
用法筆記
This is a strongly offensive insult in both British and American English. Avoid using this word to refer to a woman in any context. The word is similar in force to other derogatory slurs — using it can cause serious personal offense and damage relationships.
常見錯誤
4. something that causes difficulty, frustration, or annoyance — used informally, m
麻煩事；難題
令人感到困難或煩躁的事物
something that causes difficulty, frustration, or annoyance — used informally, mainly in British English
This old computer has been a real cow to repair all afternoon.
這台舊電腦整個下午都很難修理，真是件麻煩事。
informal: a real cow + to [verb] — something frustrating
That chemistry exam was an absolute cow — everyone struggled to finish it on time.
那場化學考試簡直是噩夢——每個人都很拚才在時間內寫完。
Tamás called the broken washing machine a proper cow and decided to replace it.
Tamás 說那台壞掉的洗衣機真是個麻煩，最後決定換一台新的。
Moving all the furniture upstairs turned into a real cow for the removal team.
把所有傢俱搬到樓上，對搬家團隊來說變成了大難題。
文法句型
a cow
a real cow
an absolute cow
用法筆記
Almost always used with an intensifying adjective ('a real cow', 'an absolute cow', 'a proper cow'). Uncommon outside British English — American English speakers may not understand this usage. Typically singular; does not usually take a plural form.
常見錯誤
cow — 動詞
1. to make someone do what you want by threatening them or using violence to fright
嚇唬；威脅
用威脅或暴力使人順從
to make someone do what you want by threatening them or using violence to frighten them into obedience
The older boys tried to cow the new student into giving them his lunch money.
那些較年長的男孩試圖嚇唬新來的學生，逼他把午餐錢交出來。
cow [person] into [doing something] — coercion pattern
Sumin refused to be cowed by her manager's angry threats about the project deadline.
Sumin 拒絕被主管針對專案截止日期的憤怒威脅所嚇倒。
passive: be cowed by [threat]
The witness was cowed into silence by the defendant's cold stare from across the courtroom.
那名證人被被告在法庭另一頭投來的冰冷目光嚇得不敢出聲。
Nobody could cow Dahlia into changing her decision once she had made up her mind.
一旦 Dahlia 下定決心，沒有人能嚇唬她改變主意。
Jabari's loud voice cowed the younger players into agreeing with his plan for the match.
Jabari 的大嗓門嚇得較年輕的球員同意了他的比賽計畫。
- intimidate
more formal and broader — can mean frightening someone without forcing a specific action
- bully
emphasises repeated, targeted mistreatment rather than one-time intimidation
- browbeat
suggests using harsh words or looks rather than physical threats
文法句型
cow someone into doing something
be cowed by someone
cow someone into submission
用法筆記
Very often used in the passive voice ('be cowed'). The most common grammatical pattern is 'cow someone into [doing something]'. Unlike the verb 'frighten', 'cow' always implies that the intimidation is successful in forcing a specific action or submission.