buffalo
1 Americannoun
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any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae.
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a buffalofish.
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a shuffling tap-dance step.
verb (used with object)
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to puzzle or baffle; confuse; mystify.
He was buffaloed by the problem.
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to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance, etc..
The older boys buffaloed him.
noun
noun
noun
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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
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short for water buffalo
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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
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(often passive) to confuse
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to intimidate
Discover More
Niagara Falls is northwest of Buffalo.
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have buffaloedperfect
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has buffaloedperfect 3rd person singular
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am buffaloingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been buffaloingperfect progressive
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buffalossingular 3rd person
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has been buffaloingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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buffaloingparticiple
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is buffaloingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are buffaloingprogressive
Past
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had buffaloedperfect
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was buffaloingprogressive singular
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buffaloedparticiple
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buffaloedsimple
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were buffaloingprogressive plural
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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
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A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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Amazing Animals, List 1
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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 environment in which they lived has been evolving since their absence,” says evolutionary biologist Vincent J. Lynch of the University at Buffalo.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
And in a campaign for Buffalo Wild Wings, she explored dating again via the chain’s “pick six” menu.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Researchers at the University at Buffalo believe they may have found an important clue for slowing some of those age related changes.
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
In addition to the Friday night game against the Seahawks on Christmas, they play on “Sunday Night Football” against the Denver Broncos and “Monday Night Football” against the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
When Maggie and Leah left Buffalo at the end of March 1851, they returned to Rochester triumphant.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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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.