cowboy
pronunciation
How to pronounce cowboy in British English:
UK [ˈkaʊbɔɪ]
How to pronounce cowboy in American English:
US [ˈkaʊbɔɪ]
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- Noun:
- a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
- a performer who gives exhibitions of riding and roping and bulldogging
- someone who is reckless or irresponsible (especially in driving vehicles)
Word Origin
- cowboy (n.)
- 1725, "boy who tends to cows," from cow (n.) + boy. Sense in Western U.S. is from 1849; in figurative use by 1942 for "brash and reckless young man" (as an adjective meaning "reckless," from 1920s). Cowhand is first attested 1852 in American English (see hand (n.)). Cowpoke (said to be 1881, not in popular use until 1940s) was said to be originally restricted to the cowboys who prodded cattle onto railroad cars with long poles.
Example
- 1. Locals worry about the precious , dwindling cowboy culture .
- 2. Her husband wears gigantic cowboy hats .
- 3. Welcome to the phenomenon of cowboy poetry .
- 4. We were all wearing cowboy hats .
- 5. Don 't you want to hug this poor lonesome cowboy ?