buckaroo
Americannoun
plural
buckaroos-
Western U.S. a cowboy, especially a broncobuster.
-
Older Slang. fellow; guy.
noun
Usage
What does buckaroo mean? Buckaroo is another word for a cowboy.In its most traditional sense, the word cowboy refers to a man who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, especially in the western United States. Cowboys do most of their work on horseback, and buckaroo especially refers to a cowboy considered a broncobuster—meaning one who “breaks in” (tames) broncos and other wild horses so that they can be ridden.Buckaroo is also an older slang term used as a way to refer to a man, much like how the words guy and dude are used, as in Hey, buckaroo, what’s new with you? Example: When I went through a Wild West phase as a kid, I dreamed of living the life of a buckaroo on the range.
Etymology
Origin of buckaroo
1820–30, earlier bakhara, baccaro, bucharo < Spanish vaquero, equivalent to vac ( a ) cow (< Latin vacca ) + -ero < Latin -ārius -ary; perhaps influenced by buckra; later probably reanalyzed as buck 1 + -eroo
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.
The Supreme Court had already decided that yes, indeed, Texas — which spent a hundred million buckaroos a year on California produce — could throw up its own quarantine on Golden State goods.
From Los Angeles Times
The group disqualifies him, however, after researchers discover his buckaroo abilities are limited to wearing expensive Stetson hats and tripping on his lasso.
From Los Angeles Times
Fred liked to recall advice he received from the old actor Gabby Hayes: “When I’m on the air, I see just one little buckaroo out there.”
From Golf Digest
It’s not like in the movies, where the sheriff tells all the buckaroos they can’t ride into town with shooting irons.
From Washington Times
A ringmaster — or ringmistress, in this case — asks us “little pardners and big buckaroos” to relax into our seats while the troupe acts out a story.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
