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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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 Japan is home to two main types of bears, including the Asiatic black bear and the Hokkaido brown bear. Arata Yamamoto, NBC news, 17 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 Black bears used to coexist with brown bears, a much larger and more aggressive species whose presence prompted them to act with caution. Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 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 27 Oct. 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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