deer

noun

plural deer also deers
1
: any of various slender-legged, even-toed, ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usually brownish fur and deciduous antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females only of the caribou : cervid
2
archaic : animal
especially : a small mammal
deerlike adjective

Did you know?

The meaning of a word often develops from the general to the specific. For instance, deer is used in modern English to mean several related forms of an animal species, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English deor, however, could refer to any animal, tame or wild, or to wild animals in general. In time, deer came to be used only for wild animals that were hunted, and then for the red deer, once widely hunted in England. From that usage the term has spread to related animals, becoming somewhat more general again.

Examples of deer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Other posts show several deer inside the home, begging for food at the kitchen counter, and being hand fed human food like cheese and oranges. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 In August, William Stamey Jr. of Whitesburg, Tennessee, pointed a gun at a landowner who caught him and an accomplice spotlighting and shooting deer on McKinney Chapel Road in Rogersville. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 29 Feb. 2024 The driver had waited two days for rescue after swerving to miss a deer and plunging 400 feet down a steep slope in Big Sur, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2024 Among the wildlife that frequent the area are coyotes, bobcats, deer and a male mountain lion. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Between classes, grab a canoe to explore the property’s spring-fed lake, hit the hiking trails, and keep an eye out for roving wildlife, including herds of elk and deer that call this alpine paradise home. Julia Eskins, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 To make matters worse, amidst the nearly impenetrable matrix of vegetation swallowing up headstones, Palmer and a group of Boy Scouts that had come to clear the land encountered a group of deer hunters. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 The perpetrators were primarily shooting antlerless deer from the road and leaving them to rot. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 7 Feb. 2024 There were also reports of deer getting stuck in the muck. The Arizona Republic, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English dēor beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Lithuanian dvasia breath, spirit

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deer was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near deer

Cite this Entry

“Deer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deer

noun
plural deer
: any of a family of cloven-hoofed cud-chewing mammals (as an elk, a caribou, or a white-tailed deer) of which the males of almost all species have antlers while the females of only a few species do
Etymology

Old English dēor "wild animal, beast"

Word Origin
The meaning of a word often develops from the general to the specific. For instance, deer is used in modern English to mean several related forms, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English dēor, however, could refer to any animal, tame or wild, or to wild animals in general. In time, deer came to be used only for wild animals that were hunted and then for the red deer, once widely hunted in England. From that usage the term has spread to related animals, becoming somewhat more general again.

More from Merriam-Webster on deer

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