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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And, yes, big ole land mammals live here too: black and brown bears, moose, mountain goats, and porcupines, among other woodland creatures. Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025 According to the Greek newspaper, Kathimerini, a large brown bear suddenly appeared, leaving the men with seconds to respond before Stavrianidis was killed. Jillian Frankel, People.com, 10 June 2025 In the clip, a large brown bear takes what appears to be a doughnut from the internet personality. Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 Martinez resident Sandy Eger spent one week photographing brown bears in Lake Clark, Alaska. Jason Mastrodonato, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Brown bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20bear. Accessed 19 Jun. 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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