grizzly bear

American  

noun

• grizzly bears
  plural

1. a large North American brown bear, Ursus (arctos ) horribilis, with coarse, gray-tipped brown fur, once widespread in the western part of the continent as far south as northern Mexico but now restricted to some regions of Alaska, western Canada, and the U.S. Rocky Mountains: a threatened species except in Alaska.

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grizzly bear British  

noun

1. Often shortened to: grizzly. a variety of the brown bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, formerly widespread in W North America; its brown fur has cream or white hair tips on the back, giving a grizzled appearance

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grizzly bears
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grizzly bear

First recorded in 1685–95

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Compare meaning

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

• brown bear vs. grizzly bear

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grizzly bear

These animals can be dangerous, same as a grizzly bear or elephant, but people tend to value sharks a lot less.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

Yet in 1889, as a publicity stunt, he sent out a young San Francisco Examiner reporter, Allen Kelly, to bring him a live California grizzly bear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

That’s mostly true, but saying these events “can” be inconsequential is like saying that a human encounter with a grizzly bear “can” be nonfatal.

From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2025

US scientist Dr Fred Ramsdell was on the last day of a three-week hike with his wife Laura O'Neill and their two dogs, deep in Montana's grizzly bear country, when Ms O'Neill suddenly started screaming.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025

He walked into a clearing and found himself facing a large grizzly bear with two cubs.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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