deer

noun

ˈdir 

plural deer also deers

1

: any of various slender-legged, even-toed, ruminant mammals (family Cervidae, the deer family) having usually brownish fur and deciduous antlers borne by the males of nearly all and by the females only of the caribou : cervid

2

archaic : animal

especially : a small mammal

deerlike

ˈdir-ˌlīk 

adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

That incident occurred when two men went off a trail to look for deer and elk antlers and surprised the animal. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2023

There were deer and coyote tracks, black crows flapping against a powder blue sky, and signs everywhere of Feltham’s deep roots in this fertile land. —Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2023

Visitors will see wildlife including bats, deer and turkeys. —Brianna Griff, Chron, 24 Feb. 2023

Tour groups may see some of the animals that live in the area, such as turkeys, deer and occasionally a bear, Anger said. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2023

The second deals with lead poisoning in wildlife, often eagles, caused by the animals consuming lead bullet fragments in deer and other carcasses. —Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2023

There's just something about seeing the deer and the wild turkeys and the elk. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2023

The green island of Yakushima, off the southern tip of Kyushu’s Kagoshima Prefecture, is home to native deer and monkeys, as well as ancient cedars. —Selena Takigawa Hoy, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2023

Just a few years after the wolves’ reintroduction, the elk and deer had declined, while trees and birds had rebounded. —Meaghan Tobin, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, deer, animal, from Old English dēor beast; akin to Old High German tior wild animal, Lithuanian dvasia breath, spirit

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deer

• black-tailed deer
• axis deer
• barking deer
• deer tick
• deer mouse
• key deer
• fallow deer
• roe deer
• mule deer
• red deer
• musk deer
• white-tailed deer

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• black-tailed deer
• axis deer
• barking deer
• deer tick
• deer mouse
• key deer
• fallow deer
• roe deer
• mule deer
• red deer
• musk deer
• white-tailed deer

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Kids Definition

deer

noun

ˈdi(ə)r 

plural deer

: any of a family of cloven-hoofed cud-chewing mammals (as an elk, a caribou, or a white-tailed deer) of which the males of almost all species have antlers while the females of only a few species do

Etymology

Old English dēor "wild animal, beast"