water buffalo

American

[waw-ter buhf-uh-loh, wot-er] / ˈwɔ tər ˌbʌf ə loʊ, ˈwɒt ər /

noun

a domesticated buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, of tropical Asia, having large, flattened, curved horns.
a very large wild buffalo, Bubalus arnee, of the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia, having large, flattened, curved horns and frequenting swamps and rivers: currently endangered.

water buffalo British

noun

Also called: Asiatic buffalo. Indian buffalo. carabao. a member of the cattle tribe, Bubalus bubalis, of swampy regions of S Asia, having widely spreading back-curving horns. Domesticated forms are used as draught animals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of water buffalo

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the waters of Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka, a water buffalo emerges from a swim, its head adorned with a garland of floating weeds.

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2025

The water buffalo “freaked” out when O'Brien was sitting on it and “tossed” him into the air before O'Brien fell and landed on his hip on the cement floor.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2024

Pest population management is routinely carried out in Australia for large hooved animals, including deer, pigs, goats, camels and water buffalo.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

Now a taxidermied water buffalo head — the ox — watches from above the bar, while the appellative bull is represented across from it in gleaming metal.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 26, 2023

Working with Martín was like trying to corral a stubborn water buffalo.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023