# cowboy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/ · frequency rank #8,917

## Definitions
1. A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West.
2. A man who identifies with cowboy culture, including wearing a cowboy hat and being a fan of country and western music.
3. A person who engages in reckless behavior, especially for the purpose of showing off.
4. A dishonest or incompetent independent tradesman.
5. A playing card of king rank.
6. Ellipsis of cowboy pool.

## Etymology
PIE word
 *gʷṓws
From cow + boy. More on Wikipedia.

## Easily confused with
- **Cowley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cowboy-vs-cowley)
- **combo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/combo-vs-cowboy)
- **Colby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/colby-vs-cowboy)
- **Cosby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cosby-vs-cowboy)
- **convoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/convoy-vs-cowboy)
- **Conroy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/conroy-vs-cowboy)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ccowboy`, `cobwoy`, `cowbboy`, `cowboyy`, `cowbyo`, `cowoby`, `cowwboy`, `cwoboy`, `ocwboy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cowboy