buffalo

1 of 2

noun

buf·fa·lo ˈbə-fə-ˌlō

plural buffalo or buffaloes also buffalos

often attributive

Synonyms of buffalo next

: any of several wild bovids: such as

: water buffalo

: cape buffalo

c(1)

: bison

especially : a large North American bison (Bison bison) that has a dense coat of dark brown fur with a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck, short hollow horns, and heavy forequarters with a large muscular hump over the shoulders and that formerly was abundant in North America but is now reduced to small populations of plains and prairies chiefly of the central U.S. and Canada : american bison compare european bison

(2)

: the flesh of the buffalo used as food

: any of several suckers (genus Ictiobus) found mostly in the Mississippi River valley

called also buffalo fish

buffalo

2 of 2

verb

buffaloed; buffaloing

transitive verb

: bewilder, baffle

also : bamboozle

Examples of buffalo in a Sentence

Verb I'm not some newcomer that you can buffalo with that nonsense. in this debate I refuse to be buffaloed by a flurry of irrelevant issues

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

An image of a buffalo jumping over a log also is emblazoned on the official Seal of Indiana. —

Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 May 2024 The buffaloes are currently 6-2 and nationally ranked in his second season. —

Mark Lasota, Ph.d., Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Verb

Eva has the senior management in our company completely buffaloed. —

Anchorage Daily News, 18 Feb. 2020 See all Example Sentences for buffalo

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian bufalo & Spanish búfalo, from Late Latin bufalus, alteration of Latin bubalus, from Greek boubalos African gazelle

First Known Use

Noun

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of buffalo was in 1562

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Buffalo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffalo. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

buffalo

noun

buf·fa·lo

ˈbəf-ə-ˌlō

plural buffalo or buffaloes

: any of several wild mammals related to oxen: as

: water buffalo

: cape buffalo

: a large shaggy-maned North American mammal with short horns and heavy forequarters with a large muscular hump

Etymology

Noun

from Italian bufalo and Spanish búfalo, both meaning "wild ox," from Latin bubalus, bufalus "wild ox, African gazelle," from Greek boubalos "African gazelle," probably from bous "ox, cow" — related to butter

Word Origin

The Greeks traveled over much of the ancient world, and Greek authors gave names to a number of unfamiliar animals. The African gazelle they called boubalos, apparently deriving part of the name from the Greek word bous, meaning "ox." Later the Romans borrowed this Greek word, which they used for "gazelle" and for "wild ox." In Latin the form was first bubalus and later bufalus. This Latin word for wild ox later passed into Italian as bufalo and into Spanish as búfalo. From these languages the English picked it up and gave it the spelling buffalo. When English settlers arrived in America, they gave the name buffalo to the big, shaggy animal that scientists prefer to call bison.

Geographical Definition

Buffalo

geographical name

Buf·fa·lo ˈbə-fə-ˌlō

city and port on Lake Erie and the Niagara River in western New York population 261,310

Buffalonian

ˌbə-fə-ˈlō-nē-ən

noun

Last Updated: 22 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

victuals

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

buffalo

noun

Illustration of buffalo

verb

Synonyms

Examples of buffalo in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near buffalo

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name