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:
Their buffalo wings are some of the best you’ll ever have.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
They recommend making a simple chicken salad, which can be enjoyed on its own or in a sandwich, along with fajitas, pot pie, buffalo chicken dip, empanadas and chicken noodle soup.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
At the time, Ramaphosa said the cash was from the legitimate sale of buffalo from his farming business.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Baker’s Indigenous and German heritage inform her three large abstract collage hangings, created using synthetic turf animated by acrylic paint, yarn and a variety of natural materials, including corn husk, willow, buffalo hide and buckskin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
The buffalo seems as big as a house, but it slowly seeps into my thinking, like mud warming, that the dogs would not have stopped for my hallucination.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Millions of people are under advisories in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and as far west as Buffalo, New York, through Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Pegula, 31, who hails from Buffalo, N.Y., actually went into the match as the more impressively ranked player, earning the No. 4 seed in the competition, while Gauff, 22, was ranked seventh.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Whether that number holds or keeps falling probably depends on whether climate change eventually makes outdoor football in, say, Miami or Phoenix untenable for different reasons than it does in Buffalo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Now, physicists at the University at Buffalo have proposed a new quantum sensing approach that could make altermagnets much easier to identify.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
He arrived in Chicago, and there, for no reason, rented a furnished room for a week, stayed in it for two days, went to Buffalo, changed his mind, and moved to Niagara Falls.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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
Her father, a club cricketer and clerk at the district court, sold milk from the family's four buffaloes to support the household.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
It illustrates the complex web of interactions among ants, trees, elephants, lions, zebras and buffaloes.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2024
Bharali said some buffaloes were wounded and lost blood in the fights but organizers are taking steps to reduce injuries.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
“Okay with me. I got along better with the buffaloes anyway.”
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
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 famed Chibayish marshes, the carcasses of water buffalos float along the riverbanks, poisoned by the salty water.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
I kept on walking, passing paddocks filled with horses, cows, and shaggy-furred cattle that I realized must be buffalos.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
When was the last time you looked at the exquisite list of synonyms for the word “baffled”? They may be among the best in the English language: puzzled, nonplused, discombobulated, flummoxed, stumped, fogged, wildered, buffaloed.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
"Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites," he said.
From Fox News ● Oct. 19, 2021
The senior-laden Bulls have won 12 consecutive games and won’t be able to sneak up on anyone after they buffaloed Arizona in the first round last season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2019
They get good stories, because the newspapers get buffaloed.
From Time ● Jun. 16, 2015
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 Adams, Andy
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.
