Meanings
nouncowpoke (plural cowpokes)
plural cowpokes
- USslangA cowhand (one who tends free-range cattle)
- USdatedA 19th-century device used around the necks of cows and other livestock to prevent them from challenging fencing. The action of the device was to poke the cow when the device came into contact with the fence.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nouna hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
cowpoke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowpoke
MLA
“cowpoke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowpoke. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cowpoke,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowpoke.
Source: cowpoke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.