deer

[ deer ]

noun

, plural deer, (occasionally) deers.

1. any of several ruminants of the family Cervidae, most of the males of which have solid, deciduous antlers.
2. any of the smaller species of this family, as distinguished from the moose, elk, etc.

deer

/ dɪə /

noun

1. any ruminant artiodactyl mammal of the family Cervidae, including reindeer, elk, muntjacs, and roe deer, typically having antlers in the male cervine
2. See caribou
   (in N Canada) another name for caribou

Word History and Origins

Origin of deer¹

before 900; Middle English der, Old English dēor beast; akin to Gothic dius beast, Old High German tior

Word History and Origins

Origin of deer¹

Old English dēor beast; related to Old High German tior wild beast, Old Norse dӯr

Example Sentences

You can right a flipped machine if you’ve got a tree to help you out, and move or lift a dead deer, elk, bear, or even moose with the right hardware.

From Popular-Science

I slept in the sunshine on a large tussock and woke to the sound of deer walking on the hillside.

From Popular-Science

In a herd of deer, for example, there are no shifting alliances, no outsiders coming and going from the group, and no dominance hierarchies.

From Nautilus

They come from 23 species, including bison, red deer, cave bears and goats.

From Science News For Students

Other dogs, trained to find scat, can tell droppings from diseased deer from those of healthy deer.

From Science News For Students

She actually had never been to a Deer Tick show before, but she liked it a lot.

From The Daily Beast

So we picked out the song (“Rhiannon,” click here for video), and Deer Tick learned it.

From The Daily Beast

A worn couch sitting squarely before a wood veneer wall, accented by the head of a deer.

From The Daily Beast

In 1987, The Deer Hunter was hailed at the Moscow Film Festival as an important portrayal of the horrors of war.

From The Daily Beast

A drawing of what was deemed a “deer pig” was also sent through the uranium decay ringer.

From The Daily Beast

Within were the park and the deer, and the mansion rearing its brilliant columns amidst the redundant groves of a Spanish autumn.

From Project Gutenberg

Now indeed they would have a grand feast, for they could add the flesh of the deer and boa to what they had already obtained.

From Project Gutenberg

One of these leads past Charlecote, famous for Shakespeare's deer-stealing episode, but no longer open to the public.

From Project Gutenberg

He descended into the valley, startling a herd of deer that bounded into the forest which clothed the hills.

From Project Gutenberg

A number of peacocks, silver-pheasants, mandarin-ducks, and deer are preserved in their gardens.

From Project Gutenberg