cowboy

See also: Cowboy and cow-boy

English

Two cowboys.

Etymology

PIE word
*gʷṓws

From cow +‎ boy. More on Wikipedia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

Noun

cowboy (countable and uncountable, 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. (obsolete) A young lad employed to tend to cattle.
   • 1828, T. Crofton Croker, Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South or Ireland, volume II, London: John Murray, page 312:

     Mr. Consadine had scarcely finished the sentence when he saw his cow-boy running up the street, shouting and crying aloud that the best cow in the inch field was lost and gone, and nobody knew what had become of her, or could give the least tidings of her.

4. (informal) A person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
5. (UK, New Zealand, informal) A dishonest or incompetent independent tradesman.
6. (card games, slang) A playing card of king rank.
7. (uncountable) Ellipsis of cowboy pool.

Hypernyms

• cowhand
• cowperson
• cowpoke

Coordinate terms

• cowgirl

Derived terms

• all hat and no cowboy
• canteen cowboy
• cocaine cowboy
• cocksucking cowboy
• cowboy action shooting
• cowboy beans
• cowboy boot
• cowboy butter
• cowboy caviar
• cowboy chord
• cowboy church
• cowboy coffee
• cowboy-hatted
• cowboyish
• cowboyism
• cowboyitis
• cowboy killer
• cowboylike
• cowboy load
• cowboys and Indians
• cowboy shorts
• cowboy shot
• cowboy shower
• cowboy steak
• cowboy supper
• cowboy tea
• cowboy up
• cowpunk
• cybercowboy
• drugstore cowboy
• glowboy
• keyboard cowboy
• mail-order cowboy
• milk-bar cowboy
• noncowboy
• Queen's cowboy
• rhinestone cowboy
• singing cowboy
• space cowboy

Related terms

• cowherd
• cowman

Descendants

• → Catalan: cowboy
• → Dutch: cowboy
• → Estonian: kauboi
• → Finnish: cowboy
• → French: cow-boy, cowboy (rare, post-1990 spelling)
  • → Vietnamese: cao bồi
• → German: Cowboy
• → Greek: καουμπόι (kaoumpói)
• → Hungarian: cowboy
• → Japanese: カウボーイ (kaubōi)
• → Khmer: ខោវប៊យ (khaowbɔɔy), ខូវប៊ (khəwbɔɔ)
• → Korean: 카우보이 (kauboi)
• → Mandarin: 牛仔 (niúzǎi) (calque)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: cowboy
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: cowboy
• → Polish: kowboj
• → Portuguese: caubói, (Portugal) cobói, (unadapted form) cowboy
• → Russian: ковбо́й (kovbój)
  • → Armenian: կովբոյ (kovboy)
• → Serbo-Croatian: kàuboj, ка̀убој
• → Spanish: cowboy
• → Swedish: cowboy
• → Tamil: கௌபாய் (kaupāy)
• → Thai: คาวบอย (kaao-bɔɔi)
• → Turkish: kovboy

Translations

person who tends cattle

• Albanian: lopçar (sq) m
• Arabic: رَاعِي بَقَر m (rāʕī baqar), رَعَوِيّ الْبَقَر m (raʕawiyy al-baqar), بَقّار m (baqqār)
• Armenian: կովբոյ (hy) (kovboy)
• Azerbaijani: kovboy
• Bashkir: көтөүсе (kütüwsi)
• Belarusian: пасту́х m (pastúx)
• Bengali: রাখাল (bn) (rakhal)
• Bulgarian: пасти́р (bg) m (pastír)
• Catalan: vaquer (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 牧人 (muk⁶ jan⁴)

  Mandarin: 牧人 (zh) (mùrén)

• Cornish: bughwas m
• Czech: kovboj m
• Danish: cowboy c
• Esperanto: vakero
• Finnish: cowboy (fi) (in American West); karjapaimen (fi) (in general)
• French: cow-boy (fr), cowboy (fr), vacher (fr)
• Georgian: კოვბოი (ḳovboi)
• German: Cowboy (de) m, Kuhhirte (de) m
• Greek: αγελαδάρης (el) m (ageladáris)
• Hebrew: בּוֹקֵר (he) m (boqér)
• Hindi: काउबॉय m (kāubŏy), गोपाल (hi) m (gopāl)
• Icelandic: kúreki (is) m
• Irish: buachaill bó m
• Italian: mandriano (it) m, vaccaio m, vaccaro m
• Japanese: 牧人 (ja) (ぼくじん, bokujin), 牧夫 (ja) (ぼくふ, bokufu)
• Kazakh: бақташы (baqtašı), малшы (malšı), сиыршы (sıyıršı), табыншы (tabınšı)
• Khmer: ខោវប៊យ (khaowbɔɔy), ខូវប៊ (khəwbɔɔ)
• Korean: 목자(牧者) (ko) (mokja)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: gavan (ku) m

• Kyrgyz: кесерге (keserge)
• Latin: bubulcus m
• Macedonian: го́ведар m (góvedar), каубо́ец m (kaubóec) (of American cowboys), каубо́ј m (kaubój) (of American cowboys)
• Malay: koboi
• Māori: kaupoai, kaupoai
• Marathi: काउबॉय m (kāubŏy)
• Navajo: akałii
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: cowboy m

  Nynorsk: cowboy m

• Persian: گاوچران (fa) (gâvčerân), کابوی (fa) (kâboy)
• Polish: kowbojka (pl) f, kowboj (pl) m, kowboje m pl, kowbojki f pl
• Portuguese: vaqueiro (pt) m, caubói (pt) m
• Romanian: văcar (ro) m
• Russian: пасту́х (ru) m (pastúx), ковбо́й (ru) m (kovbój) (of American cowboys), га́учо (ru) m (gáučo) (of Argentinian cowboys)
• Scots: coolad
• Scottish Gaelic: gille-cruidh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ка̀убој m

  Latin: kàuboj (sh) m

• Slovak: ^{(please verify)} kraviar m, ^{(please verify)} cowboy m
• Spanish: vaquero (es) m, gaucho (es) m, huaso (es) m, llanero (es)
• Swedish: cowboy (sv) c, cowboysare c (humorous), kobojsare c (humorous)
• Tagalog: bakero
• Thai: คาวบอย (kaao-bɔɔi)
• Turkish: kovboy (tr)
• Ukrainian: пасту́х m (pastúx), корівни́к (uk) m (korivnýk)
• Urdu: کاؤبای m (kāubāy), گوپال m (gopāl)
• Uzbek: kovboy (uz)
• Vietnamese: cao bồi (vi)
• Welsh: cowboi m
• Yiddish: קאַובוי m (kauboy), קאַובאָי m (kauboy)
• Yucatec Maya: kanan wakax

man who identifies with cowboy culture

• Bashkir: ковбой (kuwbuy)
• Belarusian: каўбо́й m (kawbój)
• Bulgarian: каубо́й m (kaubój)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 牛仔 (ngau⁴ zai²)

  Mandarin: 牛仔 (zh) (niúzǎi)

• Finnish: cowboy-fani
• French: cowboy (fr) m, cow-boy (fr) m
• German: Cowboy (de) m
• Japanese: カウボーイ (ja) (kaubōi)
• Khmer: ខោវប៊យ (khaowbɔɔy), ខូវប៊ (khəwbɔɔ)
• Korean: 카우보이 (ko) (kauboi)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: kowboy (ku), kawboy (ku)

• Macedonian: каубо́ец m (kaubóec), каубо́ј m (kaubój)
• Marathi: काउबॉय m (kāubŏy)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: cowboy m

  Nynorsk: cowboy m

• Portuguese: caubói (pt) m, peão (pt) m
• Russian: ковбо́й (ru) m (kovbój)
• Thai: คาวบอย (kaao-bɔɔi)
• Ukrainian: ковбо́й (uk) m (kovbój)

a dishonest and incompetent worker

• Finnish: petkuttaja (fi), puijari
• Greek: ατζαμής (el) m (atzamís)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: cowboy m

  Nynorsk: cowboy m

one who engages in reckless behavior

• Finnish: rämäpää (fi)
• Portuguese: caubói (pt) m, machão (pt) m
• Vietnamese: cao bồi (vi)

See also

• cattleman
• buckaroo
• vaquero

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

• Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. →ISBN

Basque

Etymology

Derived from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kau̯boi̯/ [kau̯.β̞oi̯]
• Rhymes: -au̯boi̯, -oi̯

Noun

cowboy anim

1. cowboy

   Synonyms: unai, behizain

Declension

Declension of cowboy (anim V-stem¹)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	cowboy	cowboya	cowboyak	cowboyok
ergative	cowboyk	cowboyak	cowboyek	cowboyok
dative	cowboyri	cowboyari	cowboyei	cowboyoi
genitive	cowboyren	cowboyaren	cowboyen	cowboyon
comitative	cowboyrekin	cowboyarekin	cowboyekin	cowboyokin
causative	cowboyrengatik	cowboyarengatik	cowboyengatik	cowboyongatik
benefactive	cowboyrentzat	cowboyarentzat	cowboyentzat	cowboyontzat
instrumental	cowboyz	cowboyaz	cowboyez	cowboyotaz
inessive	cowboyrengan	cowboyarengan	cowboyengan	cowboyongan
locative	—	—	—	—
allative	cowboyrengana	cowboyarengana	cowboyengana	cowboyongana
terminative	cowboyrenganaino	cowboyarenganaino	cowboyenganaino	cowboyonganaino
directive	cowboyrenganantz	cowboyarenganantz	cowboyenganantz	cowboyonganantz
destinative	cowboyrenganako	cowboyarenganako	cowboyenganako	cowboyonganako
ablative	cowboyrengandik	cowboyarengandik	cowboyengandik	cowboyongandik
partitive	cowboyrik	—	—	—
prolative	cowboytzat	—	—	—

1. Optionally, case suffixes can be separated from the root with a hyphen.

Further reading

• “cowboy”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]

Danish

Etymology

From cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔwbɔj/, [ˈkʰɒwˌb̥ʌj]

Noun

cowboy c (singular definite cowboyen, plural indefinite cowboys or cowboyer)

1. cowboy

Declension

Declension of cowboy

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	cowboy	cowboyen	cowboys cowboyer	cowboyerne
genitive	cowboys	cowboyens	cowboys' cowboyers	cowboyernes

Derived terms

• cowboybukser
• cowboyfilm
• cowboyhat

References

• “cowboy” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑu̯.bɔi̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cow‧boy

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys, diminutive cowboytje n)

1. cowboy

Derived terms

• cowboyhoed
• cowboykapitalisme
• cowboylaars

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑu̯boi̯/, [ˈkɑ̝u̯bo̞i̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑuboi

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
abessive		cowboytta	cowboyitta
instructive		—	cowboyin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of cowboy (Kotus type 21/rosé, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative cowboyni cowboyni accusative nom. cowboyni cowboyni gen. cowboyni genitive cowboyni cowboyideni cowboyitteni partitive cowboytani cowboyitani inessive cowboyssani cowboyissani elative cowboystani cowboyistani illative cowboyhini cowboyhyni cowboyihini adessive cowboyllani cowboyillani ablative cowboyltani cowboyiltani allative cowboylleni cowboyilleni essive cowboynani cowboyinani translative cowboykseni cowboyikseni abessive cowboyttani cowboyittani instructive — — comitative — cowboyineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative cowboysi cowboysi accusative nom. cowboysi cowboysi gen. cowboysi genitive cowboysi cowboyidesi cowboyittesi partitive cowboytasi cowboyitasi inessive cowboyssasi cowboyissasi elative cowboystasi cowboyistasi illative cowboyhisi cowboyhysi cowboyihisi adessive cowboyllasi cowboyillasi ablative cowboyltasi cowboyiltasi allative cowboyllesi cowboyillesi essive cowboynasi cowboyinasi translative cowboyksesi cowboyiksesi abessive cowboyttasi cowboyittasi instructive — — comitative — cowboyinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative cowboymme cowboymme accusative nom. cowboymme cowboymme gen. cowboymme genitive cowboymme cowboyidemme cowboyittemme partitive cowboytamme cowboyitamme inessive cowboyssamme cowboyissamme elative cowboystamme cowboyistamme illative cowboyhimme cowboyhymme cowboyihimme adessive cowboyllamme cowboyillamme ablative cowboyltamme cowboyiltamme allative cowboyllemme cowboyillemme essive cowboynamme cowboyinamme translative cowboyksemme cowboyiksemme abessive cowboyttamme cowboyittamme instructive — — comitative — cowboyinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative cowboynne cowboynne accusative nom. cowboynne cowboynne gen. cowboynne genitive cowboynne cowboyidenne cowboyittenne partitive cowboytanne cowboyitanne inessive cowboyssanne cowboyissanne elative cowboystanne cowboyistanne illative cowboyhinne cowboyhynne cowboyihinne adessive cowboyllanne cowboyillanne ablative cowboyltanne cowboyiltanne allative cowboyllenne cowboyillenne essive cowboynanne cowboyinanne translative cowboyksenne cowboyiksenne abessive cowboyttanne cowboyittanne instructive — — comitative — cowboyinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative cowboynsa cowboynsa accusative nom. cowboynsa cowboynsa gen. cowboynsa genitive cowboynsa cowboyidensa cowboyittensa partitive cowboytaan cowboytansa cowboyitaan cowboyitansa inessive cowboyssaan cowboyssansa cowboyissaan cowboyissansa elative cowboystaan cowboystansa cowboyistaan cowboyistansa illative cowboyhinsa cowboyhynsa cowboyihinsa adessive cowboyllaan cowboyllansa cowboyillaan cowboyillansa ablative cowboyltaan cowboyltansa cowboyiltaan cowboyiltansa allative cowboylleen cowboyllensa cowboyilleen cowboyillensa essive cowboynaan cowboynansa cowboyinaan cowboyinansa translative cowboykseen cowboyksensa cowboyikseen cowboyiksensa abessive cowboyttaan cowboyttansa cowboyittaan cowboyittansa instructive — — comitative — cowboyineen cowboyinensa

Synonyms

• lehmipoika (humorous)
• karjapaimen (person who attends cattle in general)

Derived terms

compounds

• cowboyhattu

Further reading

• “cowboy”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaw.bɔj/, /ko.bɔj/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys, feminine cowgirl)

1. (rare) post-1990 spelling of cow-boy

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• kovboj

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkovboj], [ˈkɒuboj]
• Hyphenation: cow‧boy
• Rhymes: -oj

Noun

cowboy (plural cowboyok)

1. cowboy

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	cowboy	cowboyok
accusative	cowboyt	cowboyokat
dative	cowboynak	cowboyoknak
instrumental	cowboyjal	cowboyokkal
causal-final	cowboyért	cowboyokért
translative	cowboyjá	cowboyokká
terminative	cowboyig	cowboyokig
essive-formal	cowboyként	cowboyokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	cowboyban	cowboyokban
superessive	cowboyon	cowboyokon
adessive	cowboynál	cowboyoknál
illative	cowboyba	cowboyokba
sublative	cowboyra	cowboyokra
allative	cowboyhoz	cowboyokhoz
elative	cowboyból	cowboyokból
delative	cowboyról	cowboyokról
ablative	cowboytól	cowboyoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	cowboyé	cowboyoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	cowboyéi	cowboyokéi

Possessive forms of cowboy

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	cowboyom	cowboyaim
2nd person sing.	cowboyod	cowboyaid
3rd person sing.	cowboya	cowboyai
1st person plural	cowboyunk	cowboyaink
2nd person plural	cowboyotok	cowboyaitok
3rd person plural	cowboyuk	cowboyaik

Derived terms

Compound words

• cowboycsizma
• cowboyfilm
• cowboykalap
• cowboyregény

Further reading

• cowboy in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2026).

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English cowboy.

Noun

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

1. a cowboy (most senses)

   cowboyer og indianere ― cowboys and Indians

References

• “cowboy” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English cowboy.

Noun

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

1. a cowboy (most senses)

   cowboyar og indianarar ― cowboys and Indians

References

• “cowboy” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys)

1. alternative spelling of caubói / cobói

Further reading

• “cowboy”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “cowboy”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboy)

1. cowboy

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	cowboy	cowboyul	cowboy	cowboyi
genitive-dative	cowboy	cowboyului	cowboy	cowboylor
vocative	cowboyule		cowboylor

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkauboi/ [ˈkau̯.β̞oi̯]
• Rhymes: -auboi

Noun

cowboy m (plural cowboys)

1. cowboy

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Swedish

en cowboy

Etymology

Borrowed from English cowboy.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaʊ̯bɔj/

Noun

cowboy c

1. a cowboy

   Synonyms: (humorous) cowboysare, (humorous) kobojsare

Declension

Declension of cowboy

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	cowboy	cowboys
	definite	cowboyen	cowboyens
plural	indefinite	cowboys, cowboyer	cowboys, cowboyers
	definite	cowboyerna	cowboyernas

Derived terms

• cowboyboots
• cowboyhatt
• cowboys och indianer

See also

• duell
• indian
• ranch
• saloon
• vilda västern (“the Wild West”)

References

• “cowboy”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “cowboy”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)