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# cowboy

noun (a cowboy, cowboys); adjective use (cowboy builders, a cowboy hat)

«cowboy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A man, especially in the western USA, who rides a horse and looks after cattle on a ranch. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#m1)
2. A character in western films and stories who rides horses, wears a wide hat and boots. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#m2)
3. (UK, Australia, informal) A worker or company that does careless, bad or dishonest work, often to make quick money: «cowboy builders». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#m3)
4. A person who acts in a wild, reckless way and ignores the rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#m4)

### In the lessons

In stories and films cowboys stand for the old American West, horses, cattle drives and adventure. In everyday British and Australian talk «a cowboy» is a warning: someone who will do a bad job and overcharge you. Phrases: «cowboy hat», «cowboy boots», «cowboys and Indians» (old game, now seen as unfair to Native Americans), «cowboy builder», «cowboy outfit».

### Examples

- The cowboy rode his horse across the dusty plain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x1)
- My little brother wore a cowboy hat to the party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x2)
- Cowboys drove the cattle to the market town. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x3)
- Don't hire them — they're a bunch of cowboys who left our roof leaking. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x4)
- Some cowboy builders took the money and never finished the wall. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x5)
- The film was about a lonely cowboy and his dog. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x6)
- Stop driving like a cowboy, you'll crash! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x7)
- The cowboy roped the calf with a lasso. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x8)
- The cowboy and the Gruagach stood by the fire. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/#x9)

### Note

Plural is «cowboys» (not «cowboies»). A woman who does the same work is a «cowgirl». In Australia a similar worker is a «stockman» or «jackaroo». The informal «cowboy» meaning of a bad worker is an insult, so be careful using it about real people.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «cowboy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cowboy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«cowboy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cowboy.html) on Mova free.