as in cowpoke
a hired hand who tends cattle or horses at a ranch or on the range cowboys were rounding up the cattle for branding

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cowboy Much like sailors, cowboys used stars to guide them across vast open spaces. Sophie-Claire Hoeller, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025 But before Levi’s rocked and rolled, the brand has also spent a lot of time metaphorically out on the range, featuring many cowboys in profile over the decades. Evan Clark, WWD, 14 Mar. 2025 How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: An important item in a cowboy’s kit The Clue: This Wordle has a double letter Okay, spoilers below! . . . Erik Kain, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025 Founded in 1846, Fort Benton lured cowboys and miners who arrived on horseback or by steamboat on the Missouri River. Jim Robbins, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowboy
Noun
  • Younger kids can choose from a selection of small plates portioned for cowpokes.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 17 July 2024
  • His fictional protagonists have included ornery cowpokes and professors of esoterica.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024
Noun
  • Things are also taking a turn for the worse in Texas, where Runs His Horse successfully tracks down the ranch cowhands that interrupted Pete and Teonna’s tryst.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The term Cowboy became widely popular for the trade and subsequently was whitewashed to then exclude Black cowhands from the history books.
    Stephanie Tharpe, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The Supreme Court had already decided that yes, indeed, Texas — which spent a hundred million buckaroos a year on California produce — could throw up its own quarantine on Golden State goods.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
  • The group disqualifies him, however, after researchers discover his buckaroo abilities are limited to wearing expensive Stetson hats and tripping on his lasso.
    Gustavo ArellanoColumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • The picture-perfect cowman’s paradise of Stockyards City is true to its stripes—and nowhere is this more evident than in Cattlemen’s Steakhouse.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The reply of my friend and hunting companion was one of those quaint, rasping epithets which only a cowman can manage when everything has gone wrong.
    Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Several ranchers and hunting outfitters provided public comment before the vote, as did the county sheriff.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Its upscale dining is sourced from local ranchers, farmers and purveyors.
    Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • That frontier epic, set at the turn of the 20th century, followed three horsemen who set out across the Tierra del Fuego archipelago tasked with securing a wealthy landowner’s vast property.
    Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The 28-year-old model who is an avid horse fan and is currently dating professional horseman, Adan Banuelos, posted a collection of photos from her time on the Paramount Network show.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboy. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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