cowboy

American  

[kau-boi] / ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ /

noun

• cowboys
  plural

1. a man who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, especially in the western U.S., and who traditionally goes about most of his work on horseback.

2. a man who exhibits the skills attributed to such cowboys, especially in rodeos.

3. Chiefly Northeastern U.S. a reckless or speedy automobile driver.

4. Informal. a reckless or irresponsible person, especially a show-off or one who undertakes a dangerous or sensitive task heedlessly.

   They put foreign policy in the hands of cowboys.

5. (during the American Revolution) a member of a pro-British guerrilla band that operated between the American and British lines near New York City.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work as a cowboy.

cowboy British  

/ ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ /

noun

1. Also called: cowhand. a hired man who herds and tends cattle, usually on horseback, esp in the western US

2. a conventional character of Wild West folklore, films, etc, esp one involved in fighting Indians

3. informal

   1. a person who is an irresponsible or unscrupulous operator in business

   2. ( as modifier )

      cowboy contractors

      cowboy shop steward

4. a man or boy who tends cattle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cowgirl
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cowboys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cowboy

First recorded in 1715–25; cow ¹ + boy

Explanation

A cowboy is a ranch worker whose job is to herd or tend cattle while riding a horse. If you visit a ranch, you may get to watch cowboys doing tricks with lassos. Cowboys work hard caring for herds of cattle, and they are experts at doing their jobs on horseback. Many cowboys also perform in rodeos, either for money or just for fun. A cowboy is traditionally male, and while there are women who do the same work on ranches, they're typically called cowgirls. The word cowboy dates from the early 1800s in the Western United States — sometimes these ranch workers were called cowhands or cowpokes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cowboy cowboys

On a rainy Thursday in Broken Bow, buyers clad in cowboy hats, plaid shirts and denim gathered for the regular indoor cattle auction.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

They shopped for cowboy hats, ate gigantic steaks and beat the five-time champion Brazilians along the way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

El Charro, a common term for a Mexican cowboy, is no ordinary watchman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

She grieved his death through art, painting a large oil portrait of him wearing a cowboy hat that she leaned against the wall of her Brooklyn loft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The selection is an old cowboy movie called Hang ’Em High.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

She said the sector had many decent businesses which were "undermined by far too many cowboys, crooks and con artists".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous practices."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Hollywood was founded by daredevils, from the cowboys who galloped here to become stuntmen, to the small-town girls who bucked the pressure to get married and moved west to chase a one-in-a-million dream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

With their flamboyant costumes and choreography, the group became a pop culture phenomenon, targeting disco's large gay audience with camp fantasy characters of butch builders, bikers, cowboys and soldiers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

It was a source of constant conversation for the cowboys I’d met, why old Jim would treat his pigs so.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• bronco