brown bear

noun

: any of several chiefly brown bears that are usually considered a single species (Ursus arctos), that formerly inhabited western North America from Alaska to northern Mexico and much of Europe and Asia but are now much restricted in range, and that include the grizzly bear and Kodiak bear

Illustration of brown bear

Illustration of brown bear

Examples of brown bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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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 The hotel is surrounded by extensive black pine forests and wildlife sightings like Eurasian brown bears, wolves, and Balkan chamois are all possible. Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025 In the clip, an elderly woman stands holding a bowl and a spoon beside a massive brown bear that sniffs her feet. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025 A couple of the island’s 2,000 enormous brown bears also were seen, but at long distance. Marguerite Reiss, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brown bear

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown bear was in 1757

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Cite this Entry

“Brown bear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20bear. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

brown bear

noun
: any of several bears that are mostly brown in color, are usually lumped together in a single species including the grizzly bear, and at one time inhabited much of North America from Alaska to northern Mexico as well as Europe and Asia

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