Illustration of black bear
black bear
noun
: the common North American bear (Ursus americanus) ranging in color from brown or typical black to white
Examples of black bear in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Culturally, Shinto and Buddhist traditions emphasize respect for life and nature, which are deeply valued in Japan; in Nagano and Gifu prefectures, black bears are sometimes revered as mountain deities, researchers wrote in a paper this summer.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Japan is home to two main types of bears, the Asiatic black bear and the Hokkaido brown bear.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
My guess is this is a small black bear, and blurring distorted the photo.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
These forests support wildlife like Roosevelt elk and the occasional black bear, although bright yellow banana slugs are most closely associated with the towering trees.
—AFAR Media, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black bear
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Japan is home to two main types of bears, the Asiatic black bear and the Hokkaido brown bear.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
My guess is this is a small black bear, and blurring distorted the photo.
—Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
These forests support wildlife like Roosevelt elk and the occasional black bear, although bright yellow banana slugs are most closely associated with the towering trees.
—AFAR Media, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for black bear
Cite this Entry
“Black bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20bear. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share