bison

American  

[bahy-suhn, -zuhn] / ˈbaɪ sən, -zən /

noun

• bison
  plural

1. Also called American bison, American buffalo. a North American, oxlike ruminant, Bison bison, having a large head and high, humped shoulders: formerly common in North America, its small remaining population in isolated western areas of the U.S. and Canada is now protected.

2. Also called wisent. a related animal, Bison bonasus, of Europe, less shaggy and slightly larger than the American bison: now greatly reduced in number.

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bison British  

/ ˈbaɪsən /

noun

1. Also called: American bison, buffalo. a member of the cattle tribe, Bison bison , formerly widely distributed over the prairies of W North America but now confined to reserves and parks, with a massive head, shaggy forequarters, and a humped back

2. Also called: wisent, European bison. a closely related and similar animal, Bison bonasus , formerly widespread in Europe

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bisontine
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bison
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bison

1350–1400; Middle English bisontes (plural) < Latin (nominative singular bisōn ) < Germanic; compare Old High German wisunt, Old English wesend, Old Norse visundr

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Explanation

A bison is a large, shaggy, hoofed animal. Bison are mostly native to North America, though there is one species found in Western Europe and Central Asia. The most common type of bison is also called a buffalo, and it's the largest land animal in North America. Bison tend to travel in herds and periodically wallow in dirt to keep themselves cool and free of parasites, and while they're generally slow-moving, they can run as fast as 35 miles per hour when they want to. The word bison is Latin for "wild ox," ultimately from a Slavic or Baltic root meaning "the stinking animal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bison

The more docile American bison are sometimes seen in US circuses for human entertainment, he explained.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

First displayed to the public during an "open rehearsal" four months after their arrival, the bison have so far only appeared in summer shows held in a small tent in a Moscow park.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

"That is much easier for the animals to understand," said Deforge, who tells his bison "Molodets!"

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Forest Service trailhead, and in summer you can see bison grazing near Spanish Creek, along with whitetail deer and occasionally a black bear or moose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

“The total number of bison, say, seems to have gone down quite a bit, but they wanted to have them available for hunting in the prairie a couple days' journey away.”

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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