as in exploiting
to take unfair advantage of
unscrupulous people trying to milk the welfare system for all it's worth
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of milking
Simon has been milking for forty-eight years.
—
Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Justin Trudeau’s eldest son, an aspiring musician, is milking his dad’s relationship with Katy Perry for his own art.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
And Ainesworth threw cold water on the notion that firefighters are milking the workers’ compensation system.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
In 1964, the company started milking cows in Moore Haven in Glades County.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Bribing officials, milking national economies, and cozying up to corrupt politicians and dictators have long been essential features of the enterprise.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Veyron production may have ended, but Bugatti is still milking the idea.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Four plays later, with just over two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks ran a pass play instead of just running the ball and milking the clock.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Cardozo added that all milking operations have ceased, and some beef and non-lactating dairy cattle are still grazing.
—Richard Halstead, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026
Justin Trudeau’s eldest son, an aspiring musician, is milking his dad’s relationship with Katy Perry for his own art.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
And Ainesworth threw cold water on the notion that firefighters are milking the workers’ compensation system.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
In 1964, the company started milking cows in Moore Haven in Glades County.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Bribing officials, milking national economies, and cozying up to corrupt politicians and dictators have long been essential features of the enterprise.
—Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Veyron production may have ended, but Bugatti is still milking the idea.
—New Atlas, 6 Feb. 2026
Four plays later, with just over two minutes left in the game, the Seahawks ran a pass play instead of just running the ball and milking the clock.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Cardozo added that all milking operations have ceased, and some beef and non-lactating dairy cattle are still grazing.
—Richard Halstead, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for milking
Verb
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By the time Cale Makar picked up the puck on the offensive line, exploiting Taylor Ward in a mismatched one-on-one before sniping short side past Anton Forsberg, the impending sweep was clear.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Bad actors are exploiting weaknesses government has known about for years.—
Darlene Mealy,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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First, locate the radiant to the left of the waning moon using a handy smartphone stargazing app.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
-
Paller tried a similar experiment in 2009, this time using sound.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.—
Hailey Bullis,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wireless, Then Wires That means connectivity first, which even for carriers that don’t yet sell satellite-to-phone roaming increasingly means leveraging satellite service.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
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Frank’s son Darrell Corti took over the market in 1964, and immediately began leveraging his extensive knowledge of global food and wine to expand the market’s offerings, opening the current Folsom Street location in 1970.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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This can involve pretending to be an IT customer support and manipulating an employee at a target company into handing over internal access.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
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But even then, our team of artists got in there and just started manipulating things.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Milking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/milking. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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