milking

verb

present participle of milk
as in exploiting
to take unfair advantage of unscrupulous people trying to milk the welfare system for all it's worth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of milking Another theory is that Nacua is milking the injury, in part out of frustration with his contract situation. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 During the show, he was filmed skiing to the South Pole, catching a giant anaconda, milking a venomous tarantula and diving under the ice of the North Pole. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026 As much as Kelly might be milking this attention, being subjected to such a high-level threat can arouse serious menace from the acolyte mobs. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026 In Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, farmer Mindy Dean, 50, and her family will be milking their goats Saturday and maybe taking in some local fireworks. — ABC News, 2 July 2026 Every morning, hundreds of sheep arrive for milking in the village from the high pastures of Mount Nemrut, Turkey. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 The corporate overlords may have put the break on the movies, but the streamer has been regularly pumping out TV shows in order to keep milking the franchise dry. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 This is due to too many undercard fights, Netflix airing ads during their live events, as well as the streamer milking the whole endeavor for as long as possible to increase their viewership numbers, since Netflix measures its viewership by views multiplied by hours watched. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 May 2026 Potter said companies across the travel industry are seeing the same trend – and milking it. — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for milking
  1. exploiting
  2. using
  3. abusing
  4. leveraging
  5. manipulating
Verb
  • Leaving aside the comics, tie-books, video games, and other ancillary delights of exploiting successful IP, there’s the Netflix show, of course.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At least three people were arrested in Florida after allegedly exploiting the chaos left behind by Hurricane Isaias to steal a car and loot a store.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploiting
Verb
  • With loans, there is an expectation that the campaign — using donor funds — will pay the candidate back, said Shanna Ports, a senior legal counsel for the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Learning from human demonstrations offers another way to develop skills by using examples of how a task should be performed.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of using
Verb
  • In an earlier episode, Pam confronts Grace’s mother about abusing her daughter and ends up bashing in the woman’s head with a meat tenderizer — which sounds like a pivotal moment but plays more like a side quest.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • Turnaround initiatives that include inventory clearance, refreshed designs, international expansion and leveraging Crocs' marketing momentum are starting to pay off.
    — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Ellison and Kreiz emphasized that they’re equally invested in spending on original films as in leveraging that gargantuan stable of IP.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of leveraging
Verb
  • She was also seen taking photos and manipulating notebooks on the victim’s desk, the police affidavit said.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Gandhi has alleged that the SIR is an instrument for manipulating elections.
    — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of manipulating

Browse Nearby Words

milkiness
milking
milk-livered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Milking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milking. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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