reindeer

noun

rein·​deer ˈrān-ˌdir How to pronounce reindeer (audio)
: caribou
used especially for one of the Old World

Examples of reindeer in a Sentence

a large herd of reindeer
Recent Examples on the Web From a misfit reindeer to a dancing queen, the audio selections chosen for entry into the National Recording Registry of The Library of Congress this year span a large swath of the 20th century. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 Her popular Aurora workshop, for example, takes travelers to northern Sweden to learn about reindeer herding culture from the Indigenous Sámi, whose deep connection to the environment and stories of their homeland create meaningful experiences for guests. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024 To see if reindeer really sleep while ruminating, Furrer and colleagues performed non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave imaging on four adult, female Eurasian tundra reindeer in a captive herd in Norway. Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2023 Polar bears will also snack on fish, eggs, kelp, berries, reindeer, rodents and shellfish. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024 Randazzo also dressed as Rudolph the reindeer in a group picture from December 2019 that featured Dowling and Evans donning Santa suits. Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024 But he gets challenged by a super talented reindeer girl, Stella, who shatters that dream. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024 The zoo’s bison and reindeer could also be seen tossing the trees and using them to nestle and scratch before chomping them. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2024 The analysis led the association to temporarily close the hunt to relieve pressure on the population and to reintroduce hunting slowly once the number of reindeer increased. Hannah Hoag, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reindeer.' 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 reindere, from Old Norse hreinn reindeer + Middle English deer animal, deer

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reindeer was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near reindeer

Cite this Entry

“Reindeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reindeer. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

reindeer

noun
rein·​deer ˈrān-ˌdi(ə)r How to pronounce reindeer (audio)
plural reindeer also reindeers
: caribou
used especially for one of the Old World

More from Merriam-Webster on reindeer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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