ordeñar

Senses

1. 1.

   to milk

   to extract milk from an animal, especially a cow, goat, or sheep

2. 2.

   to squeeze money/resources from

   to exploit or extract money or value unfairly from someone or something (figurative)

Examples

• "El granjero ordeña las vacas cada mañana."

  The farmer milks the cows every morning.

• "El gobierno ordeña los impuestos de los ciudadanos."

  The government squeezes taxes from citizens.

• "La empresa ordeñaba a los clientes con precios exagerados."

  The company was milking customers with inflated prices.

Usage

Standard regular verb (conjugated like hablar). The literal sense is most common in agricultural contexts. The figurative sense (to exploit or extract unfairly) is common in political and business discourse, usually carrying a critical or disapproving tone.