brown bear

noun

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of brown bear

: 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

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Recent Examples of brown bear from the Web

Jozsef Benke, a local director of the Hunting and Fishing Association said the brown bear, aged about five, has smashed windows and broke wooden doors in the remote village of Suseni.

— Fox News, "Romanian village pestered by brandy-drinking bear," 29 Mar. 2018
Long-term, this could have implications for brown bear evolution.

— National Geographic, "Bears Are Caring for Their Cubs Longer in Response to Hunting," 28 Mar. 2018
While two brown bear teenagers kept their distance further downstream, there were a few disconcerting moments when two black bears suddenly appeared on our side of the creek right at the edges of our deck.

— plain dealer guest writer, cleveland.com, "Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage, shore excursions feature close encounters with bears, icebergs (photos)," 17 Jan. 2018
So the Clova Friends speaker is in the shape of a yellow or a brown bear.

— jefferson graham, USA TODAY, "The coolest, cutest Japanese tech gadgets we'd like to buy now," 31 Jan. 2018
Sergiel's team examined a pair of brown bears and determined that the animals' paws contain sweat glands, suggesting that the prints leave behind a scent.

— jason g. goldman, Scientific American, "Mysterious Bear Dance Explained," 1 July 2017
The department looked to areas where dog breeds developed to guard sheep against wolves and brown bears.

— Washington Post, "Imported guard dogs deployed as part of US wolf-sheep study," 10 Mar. 2018
How does that logic explain why no one has ever been injured in 50 years at McNeil River sanctuary, where people sit within a few feet of brown bears for hours at a time all summer long?

— author: rick sinnott | opinion, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage bears: Love ’em or Lieb ’em," 16 Jan. 2018
And for true insider access, Japan Curator has an impressive Rolodex with the country’s elite, facilitating everything from brown bear safaris in Hokkaido to private dinners with the cast of a live-action manga movie.

— Time, "4 Places to Visit in Japan Before Everyone Else Does," 17 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brown bear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.