coureur de bois

[ koo-rœrduh-bwah ]

/ ku rœr də ˈbwɑ /

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noun, plural cou·reurs de bois

[koo-rœrduh-bwah]. /ku rœr də ˈbwɑ/. French.

a French or French-Indian trapper of North America, especially of Canada.

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Origin of coureur de bois

Literally, “runner, hunter of (the) woods”

Words nearby coureur de bois

courante, Courantyne, courbaril, Courbet, Courbevoie, coureur de bois, courgette, courie, courier, courlan, Courland

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use coureur de bois in a sentence

In the last year, her fusion exercise class has attracted a cult following and become de rigueur among the celebrity set.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They tried to continue their getaway but had to quickly abandon their vehicle on the Rue de Meaux in the 19th.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects|Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Humans spent a long time domesticating cattle, and what they were trying to do, in essence, was de-domesticate them.
‘Nazi Cows’ Tried to Kill British Farmer|Tom Sykes|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The band was still on its way back as De Blasio and his wife departed.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Yet even after the funeral protest, de Blasio was booed and heckled while addressing a new class of recruits as well.
We Need Our Police to Be Better Than This|Nick Gillespie|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Madame de Condillac stood watching him, her face composed, her glance cold.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Then the door opened, the portiere was swept aside, and Anselme announced "Monsieur de Garnache."
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
San Antonio de Bexar lies in a fertile and well-irrigated valley, stretching westward from the river Salado.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
One evening, while he was thus engaged, he observed de Patinos and Duke Wharton enter together.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Without any known cause of offence, a tacit acknowledgement of mutual dislike was shewn by Louis and de Patinos.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter

British Dictionary definitions for coureur de bois

coureur de bois

/ (French kurœr də bwa) /

noun plural coureurs de bois (kurœr də bwa)

Canadian history a French Canadian woodsman or Métis who traded with Indians for furs

Word Origin for coureur de bois

Canadian French: trapper (literally: wood-runner)

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