bison

noun

bi·​son ˈbī-sᵊn  -zᵊn 

plural bison

: any of several large living or extinct bovine mammals (genus Bison) that have a long, broad head, short, hollow horns, heavy forequarters, a large muscular hump across the shoulders, and a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck and that typically live and migrate in herds: such as

a

: american bison

b

: european bison

bisontine

ˈbī-sᵊn-ˌtīn 

-zᵊn-

adjective

Examples of bison in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bison study contributes to a growing body of evidence that population control, whether by humans or through natural processes, is a complex and nuanced task. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025

The fly reached southern Mexico late last year, sparking concern among US agricultural industry officials and triggering closures of border-area cattle, horse and bison trading ports this year. —Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025

The new species is not particularly large by dinosaur standards and is similar in size to the American bison, according to the . —Hannah Peart, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2025

Similar to what happened in Canada, the near extinction of bison by American settlers led to a famine on the Blackfeet reservation. —Rosalyn R. Lapier, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin bisont-, bison, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wisant aurochs; akin to Old Prussian wissambrs aurochs

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bison

• American bison
• European bison
• plains bison
• wood bison

Rhymes for bison

• seisin
• actinomycin
• adriamycin
• aureomycin
• azithromycin
• clarithromycin
• erythromycin
• bleomycin
• clindamycin
• kanamycin
• lincomycin
• mitomycin

Kids Definition

bison

noun

bi·​son ˈbīs-ᵊn  ˈbīz- 

plural bison

: any of several large shaggy-maned mammals related to the ox with a large head, short horns, and a large fleshy hump above the shoulders

especially : buffalo sense c