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.
Craig Williams, who rode Vow And Declare to victory in 2019, will take the reins of joint-third favourite Buckaroo while Robbie Dolan, who won last year on rank outsider Knight's Choice, is on-board Royal Supremacy.
From Barron's • Nov. 3, 2025
Beyond his iconic role in Verhoeven’s two “RoboCop” films, Peter Weller has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, including the cult classics “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!”
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2025
But if money were no object, I’d insist on a term of my own: Lithgow must paint while in character, preferably Dr. Emilio Lizardo of “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 14, 2023
Ask your guests to bring a game and "enjoy Buckaroo, Jenga or Kerplunk", she says.
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2022
Or he would come home from the club and tell Ammu that he saw Meet Me in St. Louis when they’d actually screened The Bronze Buckaroo.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
