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
Relevance
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
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 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
-
Bella Hadid has returned from playing the starring role in Rodeo and Juliet–a sort of real-life rom-com where an international supermodel falls in love with a simple Texan cowman and realizes there is a life beyond New York, London, Paris and Milan–and is (more importantly) back in capri pants.—
Daniel Rodgers,
Vogue,
2 May 2024
Noun
-
In addition to losing the benefits for our kids, this loss of funds is a huge blow to community farmers and ranchers and is detrimental to school meal programs struggling to manage rising food and labor costs.—
Khaleda Rahman,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The governor’s office, prompted by complaints from ranchers like Martín Wall, found a work-around by charging undocumented migrants with the misdemeanor of trespassing.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Every horseman with a racing stable, breeding farm or training center operates a small business.—
Mark Casse,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The horsemen of the SaaS apocalypse are productivity gains, structural changes in software and investor sentiment.—
Ron Williams,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboy. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share