The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word RANCHER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
R
A
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C
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R
More clues leading to the result RANCHER
- Farmer moved quickly and caught most of cattle, say
- Overran Cherokees holding cowboy
- Farmer managed to get companion, top lady
- Managed to applaud heartless cowboy
- US farmer made swift progress, he being in credit
- He has spread out in the West
- Was singer’s manager a cowboy?
- He employs cowboys with spurs, no nonsense, wiser at last
- Big farmer typically got a move on and caught the girl
- Film with female actor as cowboy?
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "cowboy" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cowboy = rancher.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does RANCHER mean?
RANCHER noun- A person who operates a ranch.
- A ranch-style house.