cowboys and Indians

noun

1. a children's game in which players imitate the supposed behavior of cowboys and Indians in conflict, as in shooting, chasing, and capturing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowboys and Indians¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

“This county is rural — cowboys and Indians,” says McCloud, 45.

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Another Facebook photo, published by the Examiner-Enterprise of Bartlesville, also surfaced, showing Jaquess dressed as a Native American woman at a “Cowboys and Indians” night at a church camp.

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When he and his fellow Cub Scouts played Cowboys and Indians she made sure to get him books about how the Lakota tribe lived, not just Custer’s Last Stand.

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The Western was once Hollywood’s signature genre, and “Imagining the Indian” revisits cowboys and Indians movies, television shows and cartoons in a rapid-fire introductory montage.

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The story captivated Mr. Evans, who had grown up playing cowboys and Indians in the English countryside and reading novels by Jack London.

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