buckaroo
A cowboy or ranch hand, or a playful name for a guy acting like one.
Also called buckeroo.
Updated September 21, 2026
buckaroo pronunciation
/BUCK-uh-roo/
Meaning
In ranch talk, a buckaroo is the horseback worker who runs cattle. Folks also toss it around as a friendly handle for a man or boy, especially if he's boots-and-hat and full of himself. On a Southern porch you might hear it aimed at the kid who thinks he can break the neighbor's pony.
How folks use it
- “That buckaroo spent all day working cows and still made it to supper.”
- “Settle down, buckaroo, before you spook every horse in the barn.”
Origin and etymology
Most scholars trace it to Spanish vaquero (cowherd), borrowed into Western U.S. English in the 1800s. Spellings bounced around (bakhara, buckayro) before buckaroo stuck. The Great Basin and California ranch country kept it as a working job title; rural talk farther east picked it up as cowboy slang and casual address.
Frequently asked questions
Is a buckaroo the same as a cowboy?
Pretty much. In places like Nevada and Oregon, riders often prefer buckaroo over cowboy. Elsewhere, cowboy is the everyday word and buckaroo sounds a little more colorful.