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

Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news Among the vast forests, herds of bison, and steaming geysers, a new hydrothermal feature has emerged at Yellowstone National Park. —Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025

Cortina Inside Montage Big Sky, Cortina is an Italian chophouse that serves northern-leaning Italian dishes with Montana in mind (think bison bolognese and grilled local trout in brown butter). —Nina Ruggiero, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2025

The national mammal has been the bison since 2016, and all 50 states have a state bird. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024

In fact, more than 40 other animal tooth pendants — including from European bison and red deer — were discovered inside the same grave. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 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