rodeo

American  

[roh-dee-oh, roh-dey-oh] / ˈroʊ diˌoʊ, roʊˈdeɪ oʊ /

noun

plural

rodeos

1. a public exhibition of cowboy skills, as bronco riding and calf roping.

2. a roundup of cattle.

3. Informal. any contest offering prizes in various events.

   a bicycle rodeo for kids under twelve.

4. (initial capital letter, italics) a ballet (1942) choreographed by Agnes de Mille, with musical score by Aaron Copland.

---

verb (used without object)

rodeoed, rodeoing

1. to participate or compete in a rodeo or rodeos.

   He's been rodeoing since he was twelve.

rodeo British  

/ ˈrəʊdɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. a display of the skills of cowboys, including bareback riding, steer wrangling, etc

2. the rounding up of cattle for branding, counting, inspection, etc

3. an enclosure for cattle that have been rounded up

---

Other Word Forms

• rodeoer noun

Etymology

Origin of rodeo

1825–35; < Spanish: cattle ring, derivative of rodear to go round, itself derivative of rueda wheel < Latin rota

Example Sentences

This, though, is far from her first rodeo.

From BBC

When the rodeo comes to town, the bank puts out bales of hay and a saddle to celebrate.

From The Wall Street Journal

“As soon as I was at the rodeo with them, I became obsessed with the performance of masculinity.”

From Los Angeles Times

They all attended London’s baby shower for her third child, and as a Houston native, she happily introduced the transplants to rodeos and the best places to buy cowboy boots for the kids.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was a rodeo announcer from Idaho, a Kansan whose family owns a dairy farm, and a retired government worker who auctioned spectrum for the Federal Communications Commission.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• festival