cowboy

KOW-boy/ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/

7 meanings of cowboy

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A worker who looks after cattle on open land in the American West.
Like a shepherd who looks after sheep, but working with cattle instead.
The cowboy rode out at dawn to find the lost cattle.
A cowboy needs a good horse to do his job well.
Similarcowhand, herdsman, drover, wrangler
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2
nouncountable or uncountable
Someone who enjoys cowboy culture, wearing a cowboy hat and liking country and western music.
Like a music fan who dresses up in the style of the band they love.
He dresses like a cowboy and loves country songs.
Every cowboy at the line dance wore boots and a big hat.
3
nouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A person who does dangerous things, often just to show off.
Only a cowboy would drive that fast in the rain.
The cowboy jumped off the roof just to impress his friends.
Similarhotshot, daredevil
4
nouncolloquialBritishcountable or uncountable
A worker who does building or repair jobs badly or dishonestly.
Like a repairman who takes your money but does a terrible job.
A cowboy did our roof, and it leaked the next week.
Don't hire that cowboy, because he ruined our kitchen.
Similarcharlatan, rogue
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5
verbintransitive
To do the work of herding cattle on a ranch or open land.
He wanted to cowboy out West for a year.
They cowboyed all summer, moving cattle from field to field.
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6
nounslangcountable or uncountable
A king card in a deck of playing cards.
He turned over a cowboy and won the hand.
A pair of cowboys beat my two queens.
Similarking
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7
noununcountableabbreviationellipsis
Short form of cowboy pool. It's the name of a pool game.
We racked up the balls and played some cowboy.
He's better at cowboy than at regular eight-ball.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From the words "cow" and "boy".