milk run

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

An uneventful mission, especially a military sortie completed without incident

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A campaign for a political office whose main apparent purpose is to "milk" money from supporters in order to provide a source of income for the candidate, campaign staff, and family members.

Register: slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “milk run” mean?

An uneventful mission, especially a military sortie completed without incident

Is “milk run” formal or informal?

milk run is generally slang.