buffalo

1 of 2

noun

buf·​fa·​lo ˈbə-fə-ˌlō 

plural buffalo or buffaloes also buffalos

often attributive

1

: any of several wild bovids: such as

a

: water buffalo

b

: cape buffalo

c(1)

: bison

especially : a large North American bison (Bison bison) that has a dense coat of dark brown fur with a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck, short hollow horns, and heavy forequarters with a large muscular hump over the shoulders and that formerly was abundant in North America but is now reduced to small populations of plains and prairies chiefly of the central U.S. and Canada : american bison compare european bison

(2)

: the flesh of the buffalo used as food

2

: any of several suckers (genus Ictiobus) found mostly in the Mississippi River valley

called also buffalo fish

Illustration of buffalo

• buffalo 1c(1)

buffalo

2 of 2

verb

buffaloed; buffaloing

transitive verb

: bewilder, baffle

also : bamboozle

Did you know?

What is the origin of buffalo?

Greeks traveled much of the ancient world, and Greek authors gave names to many unfamiliar animals. The African gazelle they called boubalos. Later, the Romans borrowed this Greek word and used it for gazelle and for wild ox. In Latin the form was first bubalus and later bufalus. This Latin word for wild ox passed into Italian as bufalo and into Spanish as búfalo. From these languages, the English then picked up the word, spelling it buffalo, and when English settlers arrived in America, they gave the name to the big, shaggy animal that is also called bison.

Synonyms of buffalo

Verb

• fool
• trick
• deceive
• kid
• snow
• sucker

Examples of buffalo in a Sentence

Verb

I'm not some newcomer that you can buffalo with that nonsense.

in this debate I refuse to be buffaloed by a flurry of irrelevant issues

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That relic came under scrutiny in 2007 after dental experts pointed out that the 3-inch tooth’s characteristics were incompatible with the dimensions of a human tooth and most likely belonged to a cow or a buffalo. —Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026

The cheese, a buffalo mozzarella, was soft and melty. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026

Verb

Eva has the senior management in our company completely buffaloed. —Anchorage Daily News, 18 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian bufalo & Spanish búfalo, from Late Latin bufalus, alteration of Latin bubalus, from Greek boubalos African gazelle

First Known Use

Noun

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing buffalo

• African buffalo
• buffalo berry
• buffalo gourd
• buffalo grass
• buffalo plaid
• buffalo sauce
• buffalo soldier
• buffalo wing
• Cape buffalo
• water buffalo

Rhymes for buffalo

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

buffalo

noun

buf·​fa·​lo

ˈbəf-ə-ˌlō

plural buffalo or buffaloes

: any of several wild mammals related to oxen: as

a

: water buffalo

b

: cape buffalo

c

: a large shaggy-maned North American mammal with short horns and heavy forequarters with a large muscular hump

Etymology

Noun

from Italian bufalo and Spanish búfalo, both meaning "wild ox," from Latin bubalus, bufalus "wild ox, African gazelle," from Greek boubalos "African gazelle," probably from bous "ox, cow" — related to butter

Word Origin

The Greeks traveled over much of the ancient world, and Greek authors gave names to a number of unfamiliar animals. The African gazelle they called boubalos, apparently deriving part of the name from the Greek word bous, meaning "ox." Later the Romans borrowed this Greek word, which they used for "gazelle" and for "wild ox." In Latin the form was first bubalus and later bufalus. This Latin word for wild ox later passed into Italian as bufalo and into Spanish as búfalo. From these languages the English picked it up and gave it the spelling buffalo. When English settlers arrived in America, they gave the name buffalo to the big, shaggy animal that scientists prefer to call bison.

Geographical Definition

Buffalo

geographical name

Buf·​fa·​lo ˈbə-fə-ˌlō 

city and port on Lake Erie and the Niagara River in western New York population 261,310

Buffalonian

ˌbə-fə-ˈlō-nē-ən 

noun