chuck wagon

American  

noun

1. Western U.S. a wagon carrying cooking facilities and food for serving people working outdoors, as at a ranch or lumber camp.

---

chuck wagon British  

noun

1. a wagon carrying provisions and cooking utensils for men, such as cowboys, who work in the open

---

Etymology

Origin of chuck wagon

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chuck wagon

In a Valentine’s Day quiz Chelsea posted in 2022 on Facebook, she said they met at the ranch rodeo after the chuck wagon races and went for pizza on their first date.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

For starters, there’s chuck wagon cook Ron Reed tending to biscuits in front of the city’s biggest tourist attraction.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 2, 2020

But on this first night of the roundup, as the sun sank low over the Canadian river breaks, the cowboys discussed a more pressing topic as they finished their chuck wagon supper.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2017

We packed big tents on company streets around a chuck wagon where a massive man in comically wide blue kersey trousers served up cold cuts and shoofly pie.

From Salon ● May 28, 2017

Old Dutch John, a famous range character, was driving the chuck wagon.

From Valley of Wild Horses by Grey, Zane