: a large gregarious deer (Rangifer tarandus) of Holarctic taiga and tundra that usually has palmate antlers in both sexes—used especially for one of the New World
called alsoreindeer
Illustration of caribou
Examples of caribou in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebOn the way to the permafrost of the Alaskan tundra, eagle-eyed motorists may spot caribou, moose and grizzly bears along the road.—Teddy Brokaw, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024 As of 2023, the caribou quota for the Fortymile Herd has been reduced to more normal bag limits, typically one bull caribou during the fall and one bull caribou during the winter for each hunter.—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 2 May 2024 Suddenly, the herd splits with half the caribou splintering off to the right of the truck and the other half veering left.—Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 2 May 2024 The review found that many of those communities depend on local caribou and fish and that an industrial road would harm the migration and survival rates of caribou that are already threatened by climate change.—Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for caribou
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caribou.' 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
earlier caribo, borrowed from Micmac qalipu (phonetically ɣalibu, 17th-18th-century *ɣaribu), agentive derivative of qalipi- "shovel snow," going back to proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; so called from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front feet in search of food
Share