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
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Recent Examples of cowboy
Expect to see a sea of looks leaning into cowboy culture (with a festival twist) for both men’s and women’s outfits.
—
Katie Ann Lehman, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2026
Guess that’s just the cowboy in him.
—Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026
Pirates or western cowboys are just a couple of the outfit themes.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
And also on Untucked… • The girls hang out with the cowboys, and everyone agrees that the whole episode was a ton of fun.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Katie Ann Lehman, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2026
Guess that’s just the cowboy in him.
—Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026
Pirates or western cowboys are just a couple of the outfit themes.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 22 Mar. 2026
And also on Untucked… • The girls hang out with the cowboys, and everyone agrees that the whole episode was a ton of fun.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowboy
Noun
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The all-inclusive dude ranch is about a 90-minute drive from Reno, Nevada, and has invited travelers to get in touch with their inner cowpoke since 1962.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
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For cowpokes looking to escape winter’s bite, White Stallion Ranch operates year-round, offering trail rides among the cactuses on 3,000 acres bordering Saguaro National Park.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Residents and visitors will line the streets to watch cowhands from various ranches herd more than 30 Longhorns through town, a tradition dating back to when the parade was a downtown cattle drive.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
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There are plenty of places to take a horse, with experienced cowhands to guide the way.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Joe worked as a cowpuncher in Flagler, Colo., making $150 a day tending to cattle on horseback.—
Jose A. Del Real,
Washington Post,
6 Nov. 2022
Noun
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There are muddy buckaroo boots worn by some lucky child, and the tiny boots of Major Lynn White (1838-1915), then the world’s smallest man.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
3 Sep. 2025
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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
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Imperial officers had two ranks: zat, determined by their pay rate, and sawar, reflecting the number of horsemen under their command.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Mar. 2026
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As foretold in the indie-rock book of Revelations, the fourth horseman from Animal Collective is finally releasing his debut solo album.—
Dan Reilly,
Vulture,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Rhoden is a welder, rancher and former legislator from rural Union Center in western South Dakota.—
Joshua Haiar,
States Newsroom,
1 Apr. 2026
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Chauvet, the Big Sandy rancher, said his perspective on whether remote towns like his should have a hospital is forever changed because of his accident.—
Aaron Bolton,
NPR,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboy. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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