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

Though not included in the sale, the property currently supports summer grazing leases for 100 cow/calf pairs and 300 yearlings and has previously hosted herds of bison and horses. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 14 July 2025

One of these contradictions was the necessity of keeping large numbers of horses for the trade economy while also demanding large numbers of bison for the subsistence economy. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 6 July 2025

The adult bison, on the other hand, continued to graze without so much as batting an eye. —Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 2 July 2025

Nothing could have been done Poland said the bison died fairly quickly after falling into Grand Prismatic, where temperatures reach about 192 degrees Fahrenheit. —Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 27 June 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