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 biggest issue with buying bison is simply availability, and while many supermarkets now carry ground bison, getting steaks or other cuts is still quite challenging, especially at the mail order gift box level. —Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Bouncing back: Europe’s largest wild animal nearly went extinct because of hunting and loss of habitat, but conservation efforts have revived the bison. —Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2025

Loggers are plundering giant sequoias in Yosemite and poachers are decimating bison herds in Yellowstone. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2025

The giant bison was an herbivore and grazed on the grasslands and open savannas of North America, feeding on a variety of plants. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 9 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