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In the American West, a horseman skilled at handling cattle is called a cowboy. From ca.1820, cowboys were employed in small numbers on Texas ranches. After the Civil War, their numbers rapidly multiplied as cattle-raising evolved into a lucrative industry throughout the western territories. Cowboys rounded up and branded the cattle, kept watch over the herd, and drove those ready for market to railroad towns. As the agricultural frontier moved west, the open range was transformed into farms, and by 1890 cowboys had been forced to settle on ranches. The romance of their image lives on in American folklore and through movies and television.
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Examples of cowboy in a Sentence
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024
Kate’s emerging cowboy tendencies, Trowbridge’s ruthlessness and immaturity, Eidra’s laser focus on intelligence gathering and analysis, Dennison’s rectitude, Roylin’s geopolitics-whisperer shtick — all are heightened and more immediately consequential than before.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024
Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 14 Aug. 2024
Taylor Sheridan to cowboy up in Fort Worth Sheridan, 54, is a North Texas native who is the creative force behind some of the biggest television series of the last few years.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 July 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Cowboy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cowboy. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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