Meaning & use
muleys
Last updated
“muleys” is a form of “muley”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralregional
Cattle or deer, especially cows, that naturally have no horns.
Grammar: Plural of muley: several muleys grazed there.
Patterns
- muleys in the herd
The rancher kept several muleys among his Angus herd.
Muleys are easier to handle in tight pens.
Hunters tracked muleys across the mesa.
nounpluralinformal
Mule deer, a large deer of western North America with big ears, called muleys by hunters and locals.
Grammar: Informal plural of muley.
Patterns
- muleys in the hills
We saw four muleys on the ridge at dawn.
The muleys come down to the valley in winter.
Word forms
| singular | muley |
|---|
Common combinations
- herd of muleys
- A herd of muleys crossed the road.
- hunt muleys
- They hunt muleys in the high country.
- muley cows
- The ranch breeds muley cows.
- muley bucks
- Muley bucks shed their antlers each winter.
- muley saddle
- He rode on an old muley saddle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- polled cattle
- Polled cattle is the formal farming term for hornless cattle, while muleys is casual.
- mule deer
- Mule deer is the standard name for the animal that locals sometimes call muleys.
- hornless cows
- Hornless cows is a plain descriptive phrase and not the regional slang.
Word family
Commonly confused: muleys or mules?
muleys vs mules
Mules are the offspring of a horse and a donkey, which is a different animal from muleys.
Practice
The rancher kept ____ in the herd because they had no horns to injure other cattle.
Choose one answer.
Muleys are cattle without horns. Mules are horse-donkey hybrids, and moles and mullets do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “muleys”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.