brown bear

noun

: any of several chiefly brown bears that are usually considered a single species (Ursus arctos), that formerly inhabited western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico and much of Europe and Asia but are now much restricted in range, and that include the grizzly bear and Kodiak bear

Illustration of brown bear

Illustration of brown bear

Examples of brown bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Perhaps there’s a buffalo safari in Tanzania, a brown bear hunt on Kodiak Island, or an elk hunting foray to Arizona in your future? Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 At a Siberian zoo, a brown bear and two tigers were given watermelons decorated with images of Donald Trump and Joe Biden as part of a playful attempt to predict the winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024 Unnerved by his disapproving gaze, the couple take off again, dodging mantraps, nets and something called the West Burmese Neck-Snapper before coming face to face with a ferocious brown bear. Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2025 Best Time to Visit: Show up in July when the temps approach 70, and the brown bears are actively hunting for fish. Graham Averill, Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for brown bear 

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown bear was in 1757

Dictionary Entries Near brown bear

Cite this Entry

“Brown bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20bear. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

brown bear

noun
: any of several bears that are mostly brown in color, are usually lumped together in a single species including the grizzly bear, and at one time inhabited much of North America from Alaska to northern Mexico as well as Europe and Asia

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