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
How does caribou compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Trucks hauled parts for drilling rigs along gravel roads crossed by caribou.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Other threats to the population, such as predation by wolves, have been mitigated so that if the caribou are restored they should thrive in the wild.
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
“But there is still a need for caribou and wolverine furs for clothing and trim,” she said, “so Kapugen and Atik go hunting every winter to supply the town.”
From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
The baggage-claim area even looks homey, with lots of seating and a Caribou Coffee outlet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“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
The highway to Caribou in Aroostook County, Maine, near the Canadian border.Credit...
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
The deluge caused a house to slide off its foundation on Caribou Lane in Beverly Glen, a mountainous neighborhood northwest of Beverly Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
Although I noticed none of the parasitic flies, possibly enough of them were present to keep the Caribou moving actively against a moderate to brisk northerly wind.
From The Barren Ground Caribou of Keewatin by Harper, Francis
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
Besides the caribous, there were also plenty of Polar hares, which formed an agreeable addition to the larder.
From The Fur Country Seventy Degrees North Latitude by D'Anvers, N.
"Tomorrow I shall make a curtain for the doorway out of caribous skins."
From A Mating in the Wilds by Binns, Ottwell
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.
