caribou

[ kar-uh-boo ]

/ ˈkær əˌbu /

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noun, plural car·i·bous, (especially collectively) car·i·bou.

any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World.

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Origin of caribou

1665–75, Americanism;<Canadian French caribou, replacing earlier English caribo, both <Micmac γalipu derivative (agent noun) of γalipi- shovel snow < Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; called the snow-shoveler from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front hoofs in search of food

Words nearby caribou

Caribbees, caribe, Caribees, Cariboo, Cariboo Mountains, caribou, Caribou Inuit, caricature, caricature plant, Caricom, Carie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use caribou in a sentence

Grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, moose, and Dall sheep all call Denali home.
The Best Scenic Drive in Every State|eriley|August 26, 2021|Outside Online
To this day, local Inupiat people can be seen hunting caribou during the animals’ yearly migration through Kobuk.
Sit Slack-Jawed Under the Northern Lights at Kobuk Valley National Park|mturner|July 29, 2021|Outside Online
Established in 1980 to protect the Brooks Range and hundreds of miles of caribou migration lands, the park remains truly wild to this day—no services, no roads, and no trails.
How to Visit the Wildest National Park in the U.S.|mturner|July 8, 2021|Outside Online
The Gwich’in Nation relies on those caribou, and other natural resources in ANWR, to support their way of life.
Deb Haaland Just Suspended ANWR Oil Leases|Wes Siler|June 4, 2021|Outside Online

ANWR also provides calving grounds for one of the largest remaining herds of caribou.
Deb Haaland Just Suspended ANWR Oil Leases|Wes Siler|June 4, 2021|Outside Online
If you're weird and running for office there, the best place to start seems to be Caribou County.
Who Voted For Idaho's Weirdo Candidates For Governor?|Ben Jacobs|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Caribou antlers protrude from the wood paneling on the walls with hollow gift-wrapped presents dangling from the dried bone.
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia|Jeff Campagna|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I sent him some caribou jerky from Alaska to help keep up his strength on the Senate floor.
Nostalgia Act: The Great Sarah Palin Revival Tour of 2013|Nick Gillespie|June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Palin, who touts her caribou-hunting heritage, also tweeted, "Don't retreat, RELOAD!"
Should We Blame Sarah Palin for Gabrielle Giffords' Shooting?|Howard Kurtz|January 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Caribou Island: A Novel The acclaimed author of the short-story collection Legends of a Suicide returns with his debut novel.
This Week's Hot Reads|The Daily Beast|January 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Many of them had settled here after mining at the Caribou field and other places on the Frazer River.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Fortunately the wind was blowing from the caribou's direction, and without scenting danger he trotted briskly along the trail.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Uncle Will fired again and with better effect, for the caribou stopped and wavered.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
The new-comers gathered around the caribou and plied the successful hunters with questions.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Fust I knew them geysers begun for to groan egregious like, an' I seen the caribou gallopin' hell-bent south.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for caribou (1 of 2)

caribou

/ (ˈkærɪˌbuː) /

noun plural -bou or -bous

a large deer, Rangifer tarandus, of Arctic regions of North America, having large branched antlers in the male and female: also occurs in Europe and Asia, where it is called a reindeerAlso called (Canadian): tuktu

Word Origin for caribou

C18: from Canadian French, of Algonquian origin; compare Micmac khalibu literally: scratcher

British Dictionary definitions for caribou (2 of 2)

Caribou

/ (ˈkærɪˌbuː) /

noun

Canadian a mixed drink containing wine and grain alcohol

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