plural bruins
: bear sense 1
Bears are the most popular animals in a number of our national parks. In the Smokies, where the population of bruins runs into the hundreds, opportunities to observe these large wild animals are plentiful during the summer.—
Edward Spargo and Glenn R. Williston
Edward Spargo and Glenn R. WillistonA disturbing and all-too-common sign of a feeding bear is an overturned garbage can … its contents scattered about as the bruin searched for something edible in the trash.—Charles Fergus
Charles FergusExamples of bruin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That happened two or three times before the dogs were able to tree the bruin for good.
—Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The bruin straddled him with all four legs and thrashed Bentzel’s head repeatedly before trying to roll him.
—Benjamin Alva Polley, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025
Stay bear aware, and make sure to read up all on the local animal recommendations and rules, including using bear-resistant food containers, keeping your distance, and reporting any encounters with the bruins.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
That’s the question that trail runner Bethany Pinedo had to grapple with as a very large bruin charged toward her.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bruin
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Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The bruin straddled him with all four legs and thrashed Bentzel’s head repeatedly before trying to roll him.
—Benjamin Alva Polley, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2025
Stay bear aware, and make sure to read up all on the local animal recommendations and rules, including using bear-resistant food containers, keeping your distance, and reporting any encounters with the bruins.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2025
That’s the question that trail runner Bethany Pinedo had to grapple with as a very large bruin charged toward her.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bruin
Cite this Entry
“Bruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bruin. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bruin
noun
bru·in
ˈbrü-ən 
Etymology
from Bruin, name of a bear in literature, from early Dutch bruin "brown"
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