WordGarden.ioox
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈɒks/
US
- /ˈɑks/
Meanings
Noun
a domesticated bovine, especially a castrated male used for pulling loads or plowing
Proper-noun
the Ox, the zodiac sign or year symbol in the Chinese zodiac
Beyond the definition
An ox is a large farm animal from the cattle family, usually trained to pull heavy things like plows, carts, or wagons. If you picture older farming life, you can almost see one moving slowly and steadily through a field. People often connect it with strength, patience, and hard work, which is why the phrase "strong as an ox" is so common.
For a long time, oxen were very important in farming and travel before machines did most of that work. They often suggest a world of physical labor and close contact with the land. In some cultures, the ox also stands for steady effort, honesty, and prosperity, including as one of the animals in the zodiac.
The word "ox" usually refers to a member of the cattle family that has been trained to do heavy work, especially pulling plows, carts, wagons, or other loads. Traditionally, this has often meant a castrated adult male, but the main idea is not simply the animal's sex. What matters most is its working role. An ox is known as a draft animal: a strong, steady creature trained to help people with physical labor.
Throughout history, oxen have been central to farming, transport, and building work. They helped farmers break soil, carry crops, move wood, and haul supplies long before engines became common. The picture of two oxen yoked together has become a lasting image of older rural life, shared effort, and slow but dependable progress.
The term is also used in a figurative way. If someone is described as "strong as an ox," the meaning is simple: they are very strong. The word can also suggest patience, endurance, and a willingness to keep going with hard work. Sometimes people attach ideas like slowness or stubbornness to it, but the most common picture is one of strength, steadiness, and usefulness. In that sense, the ox remains a symbol of labor, endurance, and quiet power.
Examples
- 1
Farming
A farmer led an ox along the muddy path.
- 2
Plural form
The heavy cart was pulled by two oxen.
- Grammaroxen
plural of ox
- 3
Strength idiom
My grandfather is as strong as an ox, even at eighty.
- Phraseas strong as an ox
very strong
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- oxnoun