caribou

noun

car·​i·​bou ˈker-ə-ˌbü 

ˈka-rə-

plural caribou or caribous

: a large gregarious deer (Rangifer tarandus) of Holarctic taiga and tundra that usually has palmate antlers in both sexes

—used especially for one of the New World

called also reindeer

Illustration of caribou

Examples of caribou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The singer said wildlife officials in Alaska explained to him the impact grizzly bears can have on moose and caribou populations. —Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

Even so, Republicans representing Alaska on Capitol Hill have advanced a measure nullifying a restrictive 2022 management plan for the reserve that environmentalists had championed as protecting caribou, birds and other wildlife. —Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Fortune, 24 May 2026

Hundreds of thousands of caribou travel through this scenic region, which lies above the Arctic Circle in the zone of northern lights activity. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026

The pilot of the oil-crew helicopter had told us of valleys on the other side of a nearby mountain range that were overrun with big bull moose and caribou. —Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

earlier caribo, borrowed from Micmac qalipu (phonetically ɣalibu, 17th-18th-century *ɣaribu), agentive derivative of qalipi- "shovel snow," going back to proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; so called from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front feet in search of food

First Known Use

circa 1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caribou

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue
• donohue

Kids Definition

caribou

noun

car·​i·​bou ˈkar-ə-ˌbü 

plural caribou or caribous

: a large animal of the deer family that is found in cold northern regions

—used especially for one of the New World

called also reindeer

Etymology

from Canadian French caribou "caribou," from Micmac (Indigenous language of northeastern Canada) γalipu