cow town

American  

noun

1. a small town, especially one in a cattle-raising district in the western U.S. or Canada.

2. a town or city, especially in the western U.S. or Canada, from which cattle are shipped to market.

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Etymology

Origin of cow town

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The family moved from Arizona to Germany to England before settling in Davenport, a tiny cow town in eastern Washington.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022

While Green Bay was fawning and bowing to the demands of a diva, the Broncos got a quarterback capable of changing everything for the long-suffering football team in our dusty old cow town.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2022

Marshal Wyatt Earp brings law and order to the Kansas cow town, starting with a ban on guns.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2020

“Hopefully, it brings more diversity to the city, so we’re not so much known as a cow town or strictly country music city. I’m quite looking forward to it opening.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 6, 2016

His weary bronco he had long since sold for ten dollars at a cow town where he had sacked his saddle to be held at a livery stable until sent for.

From Gunsight Pass How Oil Came to the Cattle Country and Brought a New West by Raine, William MacLeod