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

Examples of brown bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The base encompasses 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) within the Municipality of Anchorage, where up to 350 black bears and 75 brown bears roam freely. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

The golden animals, a type of brown bear, are still depicted on the state flag and in the names of university college teams. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Wolves and coyotes are also banned, as well as all bear species, including black, grizzly and brown bears. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Apr. 2026

Robin Hood and Maid Marian were depicted as red foxes, while Little John was a brown bear, and Prince John was a lion. —Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for brown bear

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

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