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

In May 2025, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins blocked all imports of live cattle, horses and bison across the United States' southern border with Mexico. —Joe Hernandez, NPR, 29 May 2026

In Montana and other parts of the Rockies, Turner bought huge ranches and made sure the land was healthy enough to grow a bison herd to over 55,000 animals at its peak. —Todd Wilkinson, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

At one point, this tallgrass prairie covered 170 million acres across North America, from Texas to southern Canada, providing a home for bison, birds, and pollinators, and storing more carbon than some forests. —Matt Kirouac, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 2026

Martin acknowledged piling bison carcasses in a gulley for erosion control. —Logan Smith, CBS News, 18 May 2026

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