moose

American  

[moos] / mus /

noun

plural

moose

1. a large, long-headed mammal, Alces alces, of the deer family, having circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, the male of which has enormous palmate antlers.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of a fraternal and benevolent organization Loyal Order of Moose.

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moose British  

/ muːs /

noun

1. a large North American deer, Alces alces, having large flattened palmate antlers: also occurs in Europe and Asia where it is called an elk

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Usage

Plural word for moose The plural form of moose is moose. Because it doesn’t use an -s like a regular plural, it’s an example of an irregular plural. The same kind of irregular plurals are also used for some other animal names, such as in deer, sheep, and fish. Some people suggest (often jokingly) that the plural form of moose should be meese, following the pattern of goose and geese. The reason it doesn’t follow this pattern is because the two words derive from completely unrelated languages (goose is from Old English, while moose is from Algonquian). Do you know: What is the plural of mongoose?

Etymology

Origin of moose

1595–1605, < Eastern Abenaki mos, reinforced by cognates in other Algonquian languages, all < Proto-Algonquian *mo˙swa

Explanation

A moose is a large, four-legged, deer-like animal with huge antlers. You're more likely to see a moose in Canada than in Mexico; they like the cold. The moose is the enormous cousin of the deer, living not in groups or herds, but leading solitary lives once they leave their mothers. During mating season, males will sometimes compete over a female by slamming their impressive antlers together. In other parts of the world, moose are called "elk," but in North America the word comes from the Abenaki moz, whose root means "he strips off," as moose feed on bark stripped from trees.

Example Sentences

Grizzly bears, which can kill and eat large prey like elk and moose, often weigh twice as much as black bears, have larger claws and are considerably more aggressive.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

But for now the guards mostly encounter moose, bears and some curious onlookers.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

A bull moose who won’t budge has closed down a popular hiking trail in the Adirondack Mountains.

From Slate • Jul. 18, 2025

Fungi, insects, fires and cervids, such as moose, are examples of natural factors behind tree damages in Swedish forests.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2024

The moose, when shot, unfortunately lacked the imposing horns that Jefferson had specified, but Sullivan thoughtfully included a rack of antlers from an elk or stag with the suggestion that these be attached instead.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson