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

But given the bison’s capacity to sustain speeds of 35 miles per hour, its hump certainly doesn’t slow it down. —Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2025

The incident happened Saturday, June 21, just before 7 a.m., according to Yellowstone National Park visitors who witnessed the bison’s demise. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2025

The bison, who were reintroduced to the prairie in 2022, are part of a plan to naturalize the park’s landscape by restoring the oak savanna and prairie landscape of the past. —Mars King, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025

And you’re guaranteed to see more bison than humans in this area (just be sure to keep your distance). —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 13 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