Is 'milko' a standard English word?

No, it is a colloquial slang term, primarily Australian/New Zealand, and is now quite dated.

Can I use 'milko' in the US or UK?

It is not recommended, as it is largely unrecognised in the US and sounds archaic in the UK. Use 'milkman' instead.

Is the word 'milko' still in common use today?

No, its usage has declined sharply with the demise of regular home milk delivery services.

Is “milko” formal?

Milko is usually informal, colloquial, dated in register.

How do you pronounce “milko”?

Milko: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmɪlkəʊ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmɪlkoʊ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

milko: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Rare / Archaic

UK/ˈmɪlkəʊ/US/ˈmɪlkoʊ/

Informal, colloquial, dated

My Flashcards

Quick answer

What does “milko” mean?

A slang or colloquial term for a milkman or dairy delivery person.

Audio

Pronunciation

Definition

Meaning and Definition

A slang or colloquial term for a milkman or dairy delivery person.

Informal, often affectionate or humorous term for someone who delivers milk, sometimes extended to refer to dairy workers or the milk industry broadly.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

Historically known but very rare in British English; essentially non-existent in American English. Strongly associated with Australian/NZ English.

Connotations

Australasian: informal, familiar, sometimes nostalgic. UK: very dated, regional. US: not used.

Frequency

Extremely low frequency in modern corpora. Primarily found in historical texts or discussions of Australasian slang.

Grammar

How to Use “milko” in a Sentence

The [ADJ] milko [VERB] ...[POSS] milko left the bottles.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

the milkoour milko

medium

friendly milkomorning milko

weak

old milkolocal milko

Usage

Meaning in Context

Business

Not used.

Academic

Only in historical or linguistic studies of slang.

Everyday

Extremely rare informal reference in Australasia; otherwise obsolete.

Technical

Not used.

Vocabulary

Synonyms of “milko”

Strong

milkman

Neutral

milkmandairy deliverer

Weak

dairy workercreamery driver

Vocabulary

Antonyms of “milko”

customer recipient

Watch out

Common Mistakes When Using “milko”

Using it in formal contexts.
Using it outside Australasian contexts where it is unrecognised.
Spelling as 'milco'.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: No, it is a colloquial slang term, primarily Australian/New Zealand, and is now quite dated.
: It is not recommended, as it is largely unrecognised in the US and sounds archaic in the UK. Use 'milkman' instead.
: It is exclusively a noun.
: No, its usage has declined sharply with the demise of regular home milk delivery services.
: A slang or colloquial term for a milkman or dairy delivery person.
: Milko is usually informal, colloquial, dated in register.
: Milko: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmɪlkəʊ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmɪlkoʊ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think 'MILK' + the friendly 'O' ending like in 'journo' (journalist) – a casual name for the milk provider.

Conceptual Metaphor

OCCUPATION AS CHARACTER (using a diminutive nickname for a service provider).

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

In old Australian slang, a person who delivered milk door-to-door was called a .

Multiple Choice

In which variety of English is 'milko' primarily found?