Buffalo Bill

American  

noun

1. Cody, William Frederick.

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Buffalo Bill British  

noun

1. nickname of William Frederick Cody . 1846–1917, US showman who toured Europe and the US with his famous Wild West Show

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Buffalo Bill ¹ Cultural  

1. William F. Cody, an American adventurer, soldier, and showman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His popular “Wild West Show,” begun in the 1880s, featured acts such as the marksmanship of Annie Oakley, mock battles between Native Americans and army troops, and breathtaking displays of cowboy skills and horsemanship. It toured the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Buffalo Bill ² Cultural  

1. William F. Cody, a frontier settler, scout, and soldier of the nineteenth century. He was involved in several military actions against Native Americans and later turned to entertainment, founding the celebrated “Wild West Show.” (See also under “Fine Arts.”)

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Discover More

Buffalo Bill's “Wild West Show” was a major influence in the creation of the popular image of the romantic and exciting old West.

Example Sentences

In the second half of the 19th century, Buffalo Bill Cody turned the Wild West into a global sensation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

His character in 1982's Tootsie was similarly lacking in redeeming qualities, as was the title character of Buffalo Bill, the NBC sitcom Mr Coleman later starred in.

From BBC • May 17, 2024

Summers off from law school, he joined the Buffalo Bill Wild West show, and traveled to London, where, what-ho, he ran into Yaw again.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2024

The 43-year-old playwright is a graduate of Princeton University and The Juilliard School, a man able to quote Noam Chomsky and Buffalo Bill from “The Silence of the Lambs” with equal vigor.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2022

Pawnee Bill, the legendary Wild West showman and the onetime partner of Buffalo Bill, described Hale as a “high-class gentleman.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann