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
Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband is a handsome cowboy and her six children are each more delightful than the last.
—
Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Why not make a series of records, this person suggested, modeled after Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, the beloved writer’s set of novels about young cowboys in the American Southwest?
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 6 Apr. 2026
With horses to ride, fish to catch, and hearty cowboy meals to devour, there’s no time for screens on a dude ranch vacation.
—Julie Bielenberg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Neither the bull nor the cowboy gave in, and they were buried together, so the song goes.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cowboy
Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Why not make a series of records, this person suggested, modeled after Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, the beloved writer’s set of novels about young cowboys in the American Southwest?
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 6 Apr. 2026
With horses to ride, fish to catch, and hearty cowboy meals to devour, there’s no time for screens on a dude ranch vacation.
—Julie Bielenberg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Neither the bull nor the cowboy gave in, and they were buried together, so the song goes.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 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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The six horsemen follow upstairs, to the upper floors, into the apartment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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The horsemen hoped to develop alternative options during the extension of racing at Golden Gate Fields that previously had been canceled.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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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Breed behavior, grazing density, and different terrains pose a challenge for the technology, to achieve a universal platform that works for every rancher.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
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He’s been performing at the historic blues joint Eli’s Mile High Club in recent years, but the rancher is better known as the former president of the Oakland Black Cowboy Association.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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