caribou

noun

car·​i·​bou ˈker-ə-ˌbü 

ˈka-rə-

plural caribou or caribous

: a large gregarious deer (Rangifer tarandus) of Holarctic taiga and tundra that usually has palmate antlers in both sexes

—used especially for one of the New World

called also reindeer

Illustration of caribou

Examples of caribou in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both male and female reindeer and caribou grow antlers, a trait unique in the deer family. —Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025

The administration has announced a string of policy swings involving the sprawling refuge for polar bears, Porcupine caribou, migratory birds and other species. —Nichola Groom, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025

There’s also the chance to see thousands of those Porcupine caribou thundering along crossings that have been used for nearly 30,000 years. —Chloe Berge, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025

The Biden administration later blocked the project after an analysis found future development would threaten caribou, other wildlife, and Alaska Native groups that rely on subsistence hunting and fishing. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier caribo, borrowed from Micmac qalipu (phonetically ɣalibu, 17th-18th-century *ɣaribu), agentive derivative of qalipi- "shovel snow," going back to proto-Algonquian *maka·lipi-; so called from its habit of scraping aside snow with its front feet in search of food

First Known Use

circa 1665, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caribou

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue
• donohue

Kids Definition

caribou

noun

car·​i·​bou ˈkar-ə-ˌbü 

plural caribou or caribous

: a large animal of the deer family that is found in cold northern regions

—used especially for one of the New World

called also reindeer

Etymology

from Canadian French caribou "caribou," from Micmac (Indigenous language of northeastern Canada) γalipu