bruin

noun

bru·​in ˈbrü-ən How to pronounce bruin (audio)
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
A 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

Examples of bruin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Garbage cans, pet food and hobby chickens are just too much temptation for bruins to resist. Ben Long, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024 The footage shows skiers nonchalantly turning back and forth across a groomed trail when a bruin is seen loping across the slope on the left-hand side. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 14 Dec. 2023 In the fall, berry seeds, apple chunks, rosehips, fur and hair, and the bones and scales of fish are visible in scat piles, producing telltale clues to a local bruin’s foraging habits. Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 29 Nov. 2023 The footage begins with the bruin lumbering around in a lakeside yard where folks are enjoying a barbecue. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 7 Sep. 2023 Sure enough, a glossy, black bruin lumbered around in a neon green creek bottom, just barely visible from our vantage. Kevin Farron, Outdoor Life, 21 Sep. 2023 The rest of the photos show the grisly scene that followed, including multiple anglers of the big bruin latching onto and struggling to incapacitate the bear. Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 23 Aug. 2023 They group carried the massive bruin into the couple's yard in rural Luther, Montana. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 4 Aug. 2023 Late last month, a husband and wife in West Hartland, Connecticut, filed a lawsuit alleging that the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) outfitted a bear with a camera so that the bruin could gather footage on their 114-acre property. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bruin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle Dutch, name of the bear in Reynard the Fox

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bruin was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bruin

Cite this Entry

“Bruin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bruin. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bruin

noun
bru·​in ˈbrü-ən How to pronounce bruin (audio)
Etymology

from Bruin, name of a bear in literature, from early Dutch bruin "brown"

More from Merriam-Webster on bruin

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