buffalo
noun
any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae.
buffalo
1 American
[buhf-uh-loh]
/ ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /
noun
-
buffaloes,
plural
-
buffalos,
plural
-
buffalo
plural
-
any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae.
-
a buffalofish.
-
a shuffling tap-dance step.
verb (used with object)
Informal.
-
buffalos,
present (3rd person singular)
-
buffaloed,
past participle, past
-
buffaloing
present participle
-
to puzzle or baffle; confuse; mystify.
He was buffaloed by the problem.
-
to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance, etc..
The older boys buffaloed him.
Buffalo
2
American
[buhf-uh-loh]
/ ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /
noun
buffalo
1
British
/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /
noun
-
Also called: Cape buffalo. a member of the cattle tribe, Syncerus caffer , mostly found in game reserves in southern and eastern Africa and having upward-curving horns
-
short for water buffalo
-
Also called: bison. a member of the cattle tribe, Bison bison , formerly widely distributed over the prairies of W North America but now confined to reserves and parks, with a massive head, shaggy forequarters, and a humped back
verb
-
(often passive) to confuse
-
to intimidate
Buffalo
2
British
/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /
noun
Buffalo
Cultural
Discover More
Niagara Falls is northwest of Buffalo.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
buffalosimple
-
buffalossimple
-
have buffaloedperfect
-
has buffaloedperfect
-
am buffaloingprogressive
-
are buffaloingprogressive
-
is buffaloingprogressive
-
have been buffaloingperfect progressive
-
has been buffaloingperfect progressive
Past
-
buffaloedsimple
-
had buffaloedperfect
-
was buffaloingprogressive
-
were buffaloingprogressive
-
had been buffaloingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of buffalo
1535–45, earlier bufalo < Portuguese (now bufaro ) < Late Latin būfalus, variant of Latin būbalus bubal
Explanation
A buffalo is a large, ox-like animal with horns and shaggy fur. In North America, a buffalo is another name for a bison. There are various types of buffalo around the world, including South Asia's water buffalo and the African buffalo, but the bison is the most well-known type of buffalo in the U.S. You can also use the word as a verb, meaning "to intimidate," and when it's capitalized, Buffalo is a city in New York state. These various meanings have resulted in the longest sentence in English that uses only one word: "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" meaning — Buffalonian (1) buffalos (2) that other Buffalonian (3) buffalos (4) scare (5) also scare (6) other Buffalonian (7) buffalos (8).
Vocabulary lists containing buffalo
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Amazing Animals, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Some inventory counts reported as part of the bankruptcy proceedings were incorrect, leaving the company scrambling to find enough ingredients, such as buffalo sauce and croutons, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Sometimes his friends would even dare him to tell a joke about buffalo wings, the kind of dares that can only be conceived by years of friendship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Devotees swear by the beer-battered mahi mahi tacos, but with salads, buffalo meatloaf and half-pound burgers also on offer, there’s something for everyone in the car.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Barbecue, honey mustard, buffalo, something store-bought, something you stir together in a bowl.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
Seemed as if folks were seeing German spies and seditionists under every patch of buffalo grass.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Scientists at the University at Buffalo have developed an injectable hydrogel designed to keep osteoarthritis treatments inside the joint for much longer than conventional injections.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Wingstop offers 13 different dipping sauces, and Buffalo Wild Wings boasts 23 different flavorings.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
But the idea that future generations will inherit my studded Prada Buffalo Easy bag to remember me by makes me laugh.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Kansas City Chiefs recently gave Patrick Mahomes an extension worth $64 million a year to make him the game’s highest paid player, while the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen comes in at $55 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The driver hands me an envelope with the logo of an elementary school in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
There we met 60-year-old Rameshwar Yadav, a former private-school teacher who now reared buffaloes for a living.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Judy, the first rabbit to join the city's police force, has proven to her macho colleagues — buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs — that she deserves her place in the investigative department.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
More than 80 buffaloes have been killed after they trampled over each other and drowned in a river, Namibia's environment and tourism department has said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025
However, buffaloes are larger than zebras and hang out in groups, making them much more formidable prey.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2024
“They switched the deer and the buffaloes around last month.”
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
"The Ministry will contribute 723 animals comprising 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wilderbeast, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands," the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said in a statement.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2024
This includes the taurine cattle found primarily in Europe and temperate areas of Asia; indicine cattle, or zebus, found primarily in India and tropical areas of Asia; and water buffalos in East and Southeast Asia.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 13, 2023
For now, the county has told people to use bottled water for all their needs or to fill jugs at tankers called water buffalos, which have been brought in near the burns.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2023
The family is from Ibrash, in the agricultural Nile Delta province of Sharqia, where water buffalos, cows and donkeys share dirt roads with cars, motorbikes and three-wheeled rickshaws known as tuk-tuks.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
In the fields, gray buffalos and brown cows graze lazily on the grass.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
"Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites," he said.
From Fox News ● Oct. 19, 2021
Laurie thinks she’s got Angela buffaloed, and then Angela comes back and basically cuts her legs from under her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2019
“You probably could have buffaloed people 10 years ago,” said Sassa.
From Time ● Feb. 18, 2015
Others complain that he has run the school with a somewhat autocratic hand and feel that they have been buffaloed into casting votes and rallying behind causes that they haven’t necessarily supported.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2012
Despite this, Dasch confidently assured them that he had "buffaloed" the man.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
When it comes to buffaloing the opposite side, that's my long suit.
From The Outlet by Andy Adams
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
