brown bear


noun
  1. any of several medium-sized to large bears of the species Ursus arctos, inhabiting North America and Eurasia in dwindling populations, characterized by an upturned muzzle and a hump high on the back and ranging from light tan to near black; formerly considered three distinct species and often still referred to as such: U. horribilis, the grizzly bear; U. middendorffi, the Kodiac bear; and U. arctos, comprising European and Asian brown bears.

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Origin of brown bear

1
First recorded in 1775–85

Words Nearby brown bear

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brown bear in a sentence

  • Sykes suspects that the hairs come from either an unrecognized bear species, or an unknown hybrid of polar bear and brown bear.

  • But the little brown bear, being stuffed with straw, was a clumsy traveler and the others had to wait for him to follow.

    The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank Baum
  • A great shiny Owl perched upon another chair and a brown bear squatted upon her parlor rug.

    The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank Baum
  • Just now I'm as you see me—a miserable little brown bear with a poor quality of stuffing.

    The Tin Woodman of Oz | L. Frank Baum
  • The Wasp Fly—dubbed with brown bear or cow's hair, ribbed with yellow silk, and the wings of the inside of starling's wing.

    The Teesdale Angler | R Lakeland
  • A hedgehog crept stealthily along the ground, and at a sudden sound curled himself up like a wee brown bear.

British Dictionary definitions for brown bear

brown bear

noun
  1. a large ferocious brownish bear, Ursus arctos, inhabiting temperate forests of North America, Europe, and Asia: See also grizzly bear, Kodiak bear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012