cowboy

American  

[kou-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

In recent months, chatter tore through town and headlines hit the Cowboy State Daily news site as residents received letters from the county about the man camp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Apparently at random, Evans broke into a Jeep Wagoneer rented by a choreographer and dancer for Beyoncé on 8 July 2025, as the singer's Cowboy Carter tour was coming to Atlanta.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Cowboy Bob, who is about 20 feet tall, plays guitar and wears a bolo tie, is one of several oversize fiberglass mascots along 11th Street in the Meadow Gold District of Tulsa.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Baiju Bhatt, chief executive of orbital data-center startup Cowboy Space, concluded his company needed its own rockets to launch AI-in-space devices.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Cowboy Boots had nothing to say, and Aunt Queen decided to let the moment happen by itself.

From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• bronco