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

Be ready to see caribou, red fox, gyrfalcons, and tundra grizzlies. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026

Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

But those early devices were clunky and expensive, good for large mammals such as moose and caribou, but not fit for commercial use on pets. — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 11 July 2026

Visitors can frequently see wildlife such as caribou, brown bears, moose, Dall sheep, and wolves roaming the forests. — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026

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