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 National Museum of Natural History is exploring the survival story of the American bison. — Lonnie G. Bunch Iii, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026

In some instances, tribes used those dollars to source culturally-significant foods for tribal members such as bison meat, certain types of berries and wild rice that were included as part of a food box distribution. — ABC News, 3 July 2026

Excavators uncovered stone artifacts and bones of Stegodon florensis insularis, a bison-size extinct relative of elephants, near the Homo floresiensis fossils. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

In some instances, tribes used those dollars to source culturally-significant foods for tribal members such as bison meat, certain types of berries, and wild rice that were included as part of a food box distribution. — Joshua A. Bickel, Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2026

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