Jump To:

• caribou
  caribou

  noun

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

  noun

  a mixed drink containing wine and grain alcohol

caribou

American  

[kar-uh-boo] / ˈkær əˌbu /

noun

• caribous,
  plural
• caribou
  plural

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

---

Caribou ¹ British  

/ ˈkærɪˌbuː /

noun

1. a mixed drink containing wine and grain alcohol

---

caribou ² British  

/ ˈkærɪˌbuː /

noun

1. Also called (Canadian): tuktu.  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 reindeer

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• caribou
  plural
• caribous
  plural

Etymology

Origin of caribou

An Americanism first recorded in 1665–75; from Canadian French caribou, replacing earlier English caribo, both from Mi'kmaq γalipu derivative (agent noun) of γalipi- “shovel snow,” from unattested Proto-Algonquian maka·lipi-; called the snow-shoveler from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front hoofs in search of food

Compare meaning

How does caribou compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• caribou vs. reindeer
• caribou vs. deer

Explanation

A caribou is a large animal with four legs, hooves, and big antlers. In Europe and Asia, a caribou is known as a reindeer. In North America, caribou live in parts of Canada and Alaska, in both tundra and boreal forests. Many caribou migrate long distances, and all of them are herbivores, living to a great degree on a specific type of lichen. The word caribou is originally French Canadian, from the Micmac word kaleboo, "the one who paws," for the way caribou scratch the snow aside to find moss in the winter.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caribou Caribou caribous

Trucks hauled parts for drilling rigs along gravel roads crossed by caribou.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

If the caribou breeding program fails, one of the last remaining populations of these iconic creatures would be lost, along with millions of dollars.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

Olsen told AFP of the tears of pride she shed when her grandson killed his first caribou at age 11, preferring to talk about her family than about Trump.

From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026

Maybe a reality show following a caribou breeder in Alaska?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024

Our makeshift house was made of birches bent over and tied at the tops and covered with caribou skins.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

The baggage-claim area even looks homey, with lots of seating and a Caribou Coffee outlet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Hikers camping here will have several trails to choose from, including arduous but rewarding treks to Caribou Lakes, the Yellow Rose Mine or Ward Lake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2025

In Caribou, in the northeastern tip of the state, it was 96 degrees, tying the highest temperature ever recorded there.

From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2024

“There was something sort of absurd about the name Caribou, it just made make me laugh,” said Buchheit, the 23rd employee hired at a company that now employs more than 180,000 people.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2024

Small parties of only a few lodges each roamed through the mountains of Caribou County, Idaho, in search of deer and elk, while others went southwards into the Bear River and Bear Lake country.

From Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society by Robert F. Murphy

Since 2015, a slaughter has unfolded in the mountains of British Columbia, all in the name of saving southern mountain caribous, classified as threatened in Canada.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 17, 2024

Yet it was along Highway 37 that we saw the richest array of wildlife: bears, moose, foxes, wild horses, eagles and caribous.

From New York Times ● Jul. 8, 2011

"You want to act like the smart caribous and stand in the middle of the pack," says Crane.

From Time Magazine Archive

The southern shore is much pleasanter than the northern, where there are many rocks and great quantities of caribous.

From Voyages of Samuel De Champlain — Volume 01 by Charles P. (Charles Pomeroy) Otis

How about plunging into the fastnesses of the skyscraper country and biting some big bull caribous in the chest?'

From The Gentle Grafter by H. C. Greening