bison

noun

bi·​son ˈbī-sᵊn  -zᵊn 

plural bison

: any of several large living or extinct bovine mammals (genus Bison) that have a long, broad head, short, hollow horns, heavy forequarters, a large muscular hump across the shoulders, and a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck and that typically live and migrate in herds: such as

a

: american bison

b

: european bison

bisontine

ˈbī-sᵊn-ˌtīn 

-zᵊn-

adjective

Examples of bison in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The news triggered a shutdown of cattle, horse and bison imports along the southern border, as U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in an X post on Sunday. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2025

All imports of live cattle, horse and bison from the southern border have been banned due to the spread of a flesh-eating pest in Mexico, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Sunday. —Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 12 May 2025

Due to concerns about a flesh-eating parasite called the New World screwworm, U.S. officials have suspended all imports of live cattle, horses, and bison across the Southern border. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2025

Dire wolves mostly ate horses and bison, with occasional forays into giant sloths and baby mammoths. —D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin bisont-, bison, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wisant aurochs; akin to Old Prussian wissambrs aurochs

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bison

• American bison
• European bison
• plains bison
• wood bison

Rhymes for bison

• seisin
• actinomycin
• adriamycin
• aureomycin
• azithromycin
• clarithromycin
• erythromycin
• bleomycin
• clindamycin
• kanamycin
• lincomycin
• mitomycin

Kids Definition

bison

noun

bi·​son ˈbīs-ᵊn  ˈbīz- 

plural bison

: any of several large shaggy-maned mammals related to the ox with a large head, short horns, and a large fleshy hump above the shoulders

especially : buffalo sense c