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
Romance was one of the top genres of 2025, according to Everand’s recent State of Reading Report, with subgenres like cowboy romance, romantasy and regency angst also pulling devoted fanbases.
—
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
After making her screen debut in season 3 of Ramy in 2022, and following it up with a surprise guest role in Yellowstone in 2024 (alongside her real-life cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos), the model is coming back to television in Ryan Murphy's new FX series The Beauty.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
The stories of Black, Indigenous and Mexican cowboys and ranchers have not historically been told in popular culture, but the Stock Show was the first to host the groundbreaking Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in 1984.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The same reporting team, Banks and Williams, had earlier in the year spent several days with Black cowboys to tell the story — in words and photos — of the Black rodeo’s visit to Hale Arena in Kansas City.
—Mara Williams, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
After making her screen debut in season 3 of Ramy in 2022, and following it up with a surprise guest role in Yellowstone in 2024 (alongside her real-life cowboy boyfriend Adan Banuelos), the model is coming back to television in Ryan Murphy's new FX series The Beauty.
—Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 Jan. 2026
The stories of Black, Indigenous and Mexican cowboys and ranchers have not historically been told in popular culture, but the Stock Show was the first to host the groundbreaking Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in 1984.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The same reporting team, Banks and Williams, had earlier in the year spent several days with Black cowboys to tell the story — in words and photos — of the Black rodeo’s visit to Hale Arena in Kansas City.
—Mara Williams, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowboy
Noun
-
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
-
The Player’s Guide details how to build a character, whether its just a common cowpoke or one of the more unusual options like a huckster or blessed.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
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
-
There are plenty of places to take a horse, with experienced cowhands to guide the way.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Initially, the Fort Worth Stockyards’ twice daily cattle drive was paused out of caution after the Texas Animal Health Commission and The Texas Department of Agriculture called on horsemen to monitor their herds and take biohazard precautions.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
This man, this rancher, shot everything, from elk to coyotes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
-
As an example, a rancher who is having a problem with coyotes preying on their livestock could add their property to the app, which is built around a digital map.—
Kris Millgate,
Outdoor Life,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboy. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
