buffalo

¹ American  

[buhf-uh-loh] / ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /

noun

plural

buffaloes, buffalos,

plural

buffalo

1. any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae.

2. buffalo robe.

3. a buffalofish.

4. a shuffling tap-dance step.

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verb (used with object)

Informal.

buffaloed, buffaloing

1. to puzzle or baffle; confuse; mystify.

   He was buffaloed by the problem.

2. to impress or intimidate by a display of power, importance, etc..

   The older boys buffaloed him.

Buffalo ² American  

[buhf-uh-loh] / ˈbʌf əˌloʊ /

noun

1. a port in W New York, on Lake Erie.

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Buffalo ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /

noun

1. a port in W New York State, at the E end of Lake Erie. Pop: 285 018 (2003 est)

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buffalo ² British  

/ ˈbʌfəˌləʊ /

noun

1. Also called: Cape buffalo.  a member of the cattle tribe, Syncerus caffer , mostly found in game reserves in southern and eastern Africa and having upward-curving horns

2. short for water buffalo

3. Also called: bison.  a member of the cattle tribe, Bison bison , formerly widely distributed over the prairies of W North America but now confined to reserves and parks, with a massive head, shaggy forequarters, and a humped back

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verb

1. (often passive) to confuse

2. to intimidate

Buffalo Cultural  

1. City in western New York, on Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

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Discover More

Niagara Falls is northwest of Buffalo.

Etymology

Origin of buffalo

1535–45, earlier bufalo < Portuguese (now bufaro ) < Late Latin būfalus, variant of Latin būbalus bubal

Explanation

A buffalo is a large, ox-like animal with horns and shaggy fur. In North America, a buffalo is another name for a bison. There are various types of buffalo around the world, including South Asia's water buffalo and the African buffalo, but the bison is the most well-known type of buffalo in the U.S. You can also use the word as a verb, meaning "to intimidate," and when it's capitalized, Buffalo is a city in New York state. These various meanings have resulted in the longest sentence in English that uses only one word: "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" meaning — Buffalonian (1) buffalos (2) that other Buffalonian (3) buffalos (4) scare (5) also scare (6) other Buffalonian (7) buffalos (8).

Example Sentences

The general public can get in on the coveted buffalo cauliflower when the new building opens to the public on May 4 — with the partnership continuing through the summer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

That puts places like Okomu, a tropical forest in the country's southwest -- and the endangered buffalo, forest elephants and white-bellied pangolins that live in it -- increasingly at risk.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Cheyenne hunters supplied buffalo robes to trading companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Buffalo Chicken Fries: Spoonfuls of buffalo chicken dip, blue cheese crumbles, thinly sliced pickled radish, and scallions over crispy fries.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2025

It sounded like buffalo running in a herd, just the way they ran in the movies, pounding all together...But here, for goodness’ sakes, there weren’t any buffalo.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

Related Words

• agitate
• bewilder
• chill
• confound
• daunt
• demoralize
• disconcert
• discourage
• dishearten
• dismay
• dispirit
• distract
• fluster
• frighten
• perturb
• rattle
• sap
• shake
• undermine
• unsettle