RODEO Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

[roh-dee-oh, roh-dey-oh] / ˈroʊ diˌoʊ, roʊˈdeɪ oʊ /

noun

a public exhibition of cowboy skills, as bronco riding and calf roping.
a roundup of cattle.
Informal. any contest offering prizes in various events.

a bicycle rodeo for kids under twelve.
(initial capital letter, italics) a ballet (1942) choreographed by Agnes de Mille, with musical score by Aaron Copland.

verb (used without object)

rodeoed, rodeoing

to participate or compete in a rodeo or rodeos.

He's been rodeoing since he was twelve.

rodeo British

/ ˈrəʊdɪˌəʊ /

noun

a display of the skills of cowboys, including bareback riding, steer wrangling, etc
the rounding up of cattle for branding, counting, inspection, etc
an enclosure for cattle that have been rounded up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

rodeoer noun

Etymology

Origin of rodeo

1825–35; < Spanish: cattle ring, derivative of rodear to go round, itself derivative of rueda wheel < Latin rota

Explanation

A rodeo is a type of entertainment that shows off cowboy skills, such as wrestling steers and roping cattle. In the western United States, a popular type of entertainment is an exhibition known as a rodeo. A rodeo is a place where cowboys demonstrate what they can do for a crowd. Many of these skills are dangerous, like wrestling a steer or riding a bull. Some skills involve lassos and other uses of rope, such as roping (tying up) a goat. These skills are for entertainment at a rodeo, but they're necessary on a cattle ranch.

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Vocabulary lists containing rodeo

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While I’m keeping the app option in my back pocket for later, we decided to go analog for our first budgeting rodeo by staring down our raw bank statements.

FromMarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

It has seen this rodeo before: The smartphone revolution was one such cycle, and AI is another.

FromBarron's • Mar. 6, 2026

There are various types of flips that have unique names that don't spell out exactly what the trick contains - including wildcat, tamedog, backflip, frontflip, rodeo, backside rodeo and corked spin.

FromBBC • Feb. 16, 2026

When the rodeo comes to town, the bank puts out bales of hay and a saddle to celebrate.

FromThe Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

Now you’re nervous, because you’ve previously attended this exact rodeo on thousands of occasions, and also because you want to choose the thoughts that are called yours.

From"Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023