Definition of deer
deer
alsodeers
1 archaic : animal; especially : a small mammal
2 : any of numerous slender-legged ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usually brownish fur and antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females of a few forms
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Recent Examples of deer from the Web
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But as the years went by and the garden grew, the Halls realized the deer could compromise.
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At the same site, the researchers have found tiles including deer hoof marks and dog prints.
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Unlike foxes or deer, bobcats generally are afraid of people, Medford said.
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A 13-footer caught and killed recently had three baby deer in its belly.
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Paintings of his also exist that show raccoons, bears and deer, among other wildlife, as well as a panoramic landscape depicting Natchez, Miss.
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The area is populated with black and grizzly bears, mountain lions, deer, elk and moose, but Connelly didn't see much beyond the mice scurrying around her at night.
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Gardeners in the Texas Hill Country even report that the deer there don’t like them.
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At first, Mary loved the deer, but eventually the couple fenced 5 acres to protect the gardens from predation.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deer'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The meaning of a word often develops from the general to the specific. For instance, deer is used in modern English to mean several related forms of an animal species, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English deor, however, could refer to any animal, tame or wild, or to wild animals in general. In time, deer came to be used only for wild animals that were hunted, and then for the red deer, once widely hunted in England. From that usage the term has spread to related animals, becoming somewhat more general again.
Origin and Etymology of deer
Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English dēor beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Lithuanian dvasia breath, spirit
DEER Defined for English Language Learners
deer
playDefinition of deer for English Language Learners
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: a large wild animal that has four long thin legs, brown fur, and antlers if male
DEER Defined for Kids
deer
playDefinition of deer for Students
deer
: a mammal that has cloven hoofs and in the male antlers which are often branched
Learn More about deer
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See words that rhyme with deer Spanish Central: Translation of deer Nglish: Translation of deer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of deer for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about deer
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