as in cowhands
a hired hand who tends cattle or horses at a ranch or on the range
cowboys were rounding up the cattle for branding
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Recent Examples of cowboys
Because behind every ride is an echo of the thousands of Black cowboys who helped shape the American West.
—
Brian Unger, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The most effective messengers are not grassroots activists or rising politicians but farmers, wildland firefighters, fishermen, cowboys, hunters, game wardens and foresters.
—Nadia Gill, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The commercial also featured real cowboys, construction workers and climbers.
—Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The Superbloom Tour will be filled with celebration, dancing, theatre, cowboys and goddesses and of course a LOT of singing.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.
—Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Horizon sees America’s westward expansion during the Civil War through the eyes of soldiers, indigenous people, cowboys, outlaws, and wagoners.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
At the time, however, the frontier – with its rugged cowboys, miners and railroad men – defined American manhood.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
There’s talk of whiskey, Saturday nights, cowboys, and everlasting love.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
Brian Unger, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
The most effective messengers are not grassroots activists or rising politicians but farmers, wildland firefighters, fishermen, cowboys, hunters, game wardens and foresters.
—Nadia Gill, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The commercial also featured real cowboys, construction workers and climbers.
—Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The Superbloom Tour will be filled with celebration, dancing, theatre, cowboys and goddesses and of course a LOT of singing.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2026
His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.
—Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
Horizon sees America’s westward expansion during the Civil War through the eyes of soldiers, indigenous people, cowboys, outlaws, and wagoners.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
At the time, however, the frontier – with its rugged cowboys, miners and railroad men – defined American manhood.
—Miriam Eve Mora, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
There’s talk of whiskey, Saturday nights, cowboys, and everlasting love.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowboys
cowhands
Noun
-
There are plenty of places to take a horse, with experienced cowhands to guide the way.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
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Now, the ranch is proactively using drones equipped with speakers and bright lights as stand-in cowhands, WSJ reported.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cowboys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowboys. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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