bison
Americannoun
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bison
plural
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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.
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Also called wisent. a related animal, Bison bonasus, of Europe, less shaggy and slightly larger than the American bison: now greatly reduced in number.
noun
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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
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Also called: wisent. European bison. a closely related and similar animal, Bison bonasus , formerly widespread in Europe
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing bison
The United States
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Native American History - Introductory
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Since 1982, policymakers and prominent economists have gathered in this valley ringed by mountains in Grand Teton National Park -- known to most people more for its bison than for spirited debates on macroeconomics.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Herd of bison holds back a massive fire in Madrid.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The bison was painted between 13,461 and 13,162 calBP.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
As for smell, a common concern among skeptics, I only found the bison tallow scent noticeably strong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
At the bottom of the handout was a drawing of a tourist being tossed on the horns of a fuming bison.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
