cowboy

noun

1. 1

   A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.

   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. 2

   A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.

3. 3

   informalA person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.

4. 4

   informalA dishonest or incompetent independent tradesman.

5. 5

   slangA playing card of king rank.

6. 6

   Variant of cowboy poolEllipsis of cowboy pool.

verb

1. 1

   To work as a cowboy, herding cattle.

   Besides cowboying he worked at a small sawmill that cut logs into "four slabs and a tie" and sold ties to the railroad.

   Derwood Bailey cowboyed for 50 cents a day, a noon meal, and a gallon of oats for his horse.

   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.

Forms

plural

cowboys

past tense

cowboyed

past participle

cowboyed

present participle

cowboying

third person singular

cowboys