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Webster 1913 Edition


Cowboy

Cow′boyˊ

(-boiˊ)
,
Noun.
1.
A cattle herder; a drover; specifically, one of an adventurous class of herders and drovers on the plains of the Western and Southwestern United States.
2.
One of the marauders who, in the Revolutionary War infested the neutral ground between the American and British lines, and committed depredations on the Americans.

Definition 2024


Cowboy

Cowboy

See also: cowboy and cow-boy

German

Noun

Cowboy m (genitive Cowboys, plural Cowboys)

  1. cowboy

Declension

cowboy

cowboy

See also: Cowboy and cow-boy

English

Cowboys

Noun

cowboy (plural cowboys)

  1. A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
    • 1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
      There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […].”
  2. A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.
  3. (informal) A person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
  4. (Britain, informal) A dishonest and/or incompetent independent tradesman.
  5. (card games, slang) A playing card of king rank.

Related terms

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

Hypernyms

Translations

See also

Verb

cowboy (third-person singular simple present cowboys, present participle cowboying, simple past and past participle cowboyed)

  1. (intransitive) To work as a cowboy, herding cattle.
    • 1994, Sherry Robinson, El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains: a hiking guide and history
      Besides cowboying he worked at a small sawmill that cut logs into "four slabs and a tie" and sold ties to the railroad.
    • 1995, American Cowboy (volume 2, number 4, Nov-Dec 1995, page 26)
      Derwood Bailey cowboyed for 50 cents a day, a noon meal, and a gallon of oats for his horse.
    • 2003, C. J. Hadley, Trappings of the Great Basin Buckaroo
      I still had never ridden or cowboyed, and I wanted to learn something about it. I'd been making the damn saddles for years but didn't know how to use them.

References


Finnish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkɑu̯boi̯/

Noun

cowboy

  1. cowboy (person who attends cattle, especially in the American West)

Declension

Inflection of cowboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)
nominative cowboy cowboyt
genitive cowboyn cowboyiden
cowboyitten
partitive cowboyta cowboyita
illative cowboyhin
cowboyhyn
cowboyihin
singular plural
nominative cowboy cowboyt
accusative nom. cowboy cowboyt
gen. cowboyn
genitive cowboyn cowboyiden
cowboyitten
partitive cowboyta cowboyita
inessive cowboyssa cowboyissa
elative cowboysta cowboyista
illative cowboyhin
cowboyhyn
cowboyihin
adessive cowboylla cowboyilla
ablative cowboylta cowboyilta
allative cowboylle cowboyille
essive cowboyna cowboyina
translative cowboyksi cowboyiksi
instructive cowboyin
abessive cowboytta cowboyitta
comitative cowboyineen

Synonyms


French

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys)

  1. Alternative spelling of cow-boy

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English

Noun

cowboy m (definite singular cowboyen, indefinite plural cowboyer, definite plural cowboyene)

  1. a cowboy (most senses)
    cowboyer og indianere - cowboys and Indians

References


Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English

Noun

cowboy m (definite singular cowboyen, indefinite plural cowboyar, definite plural cowboyane)

  1. a cowboy (most senses)
    cowboyar og indianarar - cowboys and Indians

References


Spanish

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys)

  1. cowboy

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkaʊ̯bɔj/

Noun

cowboy c

  1. cowboy

Declension

Inflection of cowboy 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative cowboy cowboyen cowboyer cowboyerna
Genitive cowboys cowboyens cowboyers cowboyernas

Usage notes

The plural form could also be cowboys.