bronco

American  

[brong-koh] / ˈbrɒŋ koʊ /

Also bronc sometimes broncho

noun

plural

broncos

1. a range pony or mustang of the western U.S., especially one that is not broken or is imperfectly broken.

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bronco British  

/ ˈbrɒŋkəʊ /

noun

1. (in the US and Canada) a wild or partially tamed pony or mustang of the western plains

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Etymology

Origin of bronco

An Americanism first recorded in 1865–70; from Mexican Spanish, short for Spanish potro bronco “untamed colt” (in Mexican Spanish: “wild horse, half-tamed horse”); bronco, was apparently a nasalized variant of the Latin adjective broccus “projecting”; broach

Explanation

A bronco is a horse that has a tendency to buck, or kick out its rear legs, especially when someone tries to ride it. Broncos make ideal rodeo horses. In Spanish, bronco means "rough," from a root defined as "a knot in wood." The word was adopted into cowboy jargon as a name for rough, or half-wild, horses that are very challenging to ride. The rodeo events that feature riders trying to stay on bucking broncos are known as "roughstock." Broncos were originally wild mustangs, but today most are specially bred to buck. The image of a cowboy riding a bronco is Wyoming's official state symbol.

Example Sentences

Straddling a bookies' tip to be the next James Bond like a bucking bronco is certainly one way to grab people's attention.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Once, Worthington rode Shamu the SeaWorld orca like a bronco.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2023

Shorty had a reputation as the best bronco rider and stagecoach driver around.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2022

“He’s just taped together out of bags,” he said of his brown paper bronco.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2021

Bouncing, rocking, tipping, Amarante rode his mammoth mechanical bronco across the wide and lovely mesa—jackrabbits fled for their lives.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• colt
• filly
• mare
• stallion