Word
bronco
Phoneticsbron·co
US/ˈbɹɑŋkoʊ/
UK/bɹˈɒnkəʊ/
Definitions
01a wild horse
n. a wild horse from the American West that has not been trained for riding.
n. a wild or semi-wild horse of the western United States, often one that is untrained or difficult to break.
“The cowboy tried to stay on the bucking bronco for as long as possible.”
“The rodeo featured a competition where riders attempted to stay mounted on a powerful bronco that had never been broken to a saddle.”
American English
Usage
Often used in the context of rodeos or Western history.
Teaching tip
This term is specifically North American; in other regions, learners might simply use 'wild horse'.
02Denver Broncos player
n. a player for the Denver Broncos, an American football team.
n. a member of the Denver Broncos professional American football franchise.
“The star bronco scored a touchdown in the final minute of the game.”
“Local fans gathered at the stadium to cheer on the Broncos during the championship playoffs.”
American English
Usage
Usually capitalized when referring to the team name, but can be lowercase when referring to an individual player.
Teaching tip
This is a highly specific cultural reference to the NFL team in Colorado.
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish bronco (“rough”), 19th c. which in Mexican usage also describes a horse that has not been broken and is still wild.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
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englishreference.com/q/bronco