As a Noun: 1. A book or film about life in the west of America in the nineteenth century. The story usually involves a lot of fighting and shooting. English = western. 2. A male character in a western book or film. English = cowboy. 3. A man employed to look after cattle in the nineteenth century American West. English = cowboy. 4. A children's game in which one group pretends to be cowboys and another group pretends to be Red Indians and the two groups pretend to fight each other. English = Cowboys and Indians.