cowboy
Use Cowboy in a sentence
noun
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.
verb (used without object)
6.
to work as a cowboy.
00:10
Cowboy
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cowboy
Collins
World English Dictionary
cowboy (ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| a. a person who is an irresponsible or unscrupulous operator in business | |
| b. (as modifier): cowboy contractors; cowboy shop steward | |
| 4. | (Austral) a man or boy who tends cattle |
| 'cowgirl | |
| —fem n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cowboy
1725, "boy who tends to cows," from cow + boy. Sense in Western U.S. is from 1849; fig. use by 1942 for "brash and reckless young man" (as an adj. meaning "reckless," from 1920s). Cowhand is first attested 1852 in Amer.Eng. Cowpoke (1881) was originally
restricted to the cowboys who prodded cattle onto railroad cars with long poles.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
cowboy definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
cowboy definition
[Sun, from William Gibson's cyberpunk SF] Synonym for hacker. It is reported that at Sun this word is often said with reverence.
[Jargon File]
Example sentences
In windy areas, a stiff gale can knock a flat hat off a cowboy's head, so he may prefer the steadier taco hat.
Dave grew up on a ranch, and he thinks of himself as a cowboy gone wrong.
Those who are prepared to take the risk tend to be of the cowboy variety.
People are upset only because of the incompetence of the cowboy, not because they are being led to the slaughterhouse.
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