: 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
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.
Examples of deer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Based on the bones found in the cave, many of which show marks from cutting and scraping, the local menu included some birds and small mammals, but also bigger game like bison, deer, relatives of modern horses, and wild sheep and goats.—ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025 The soft fern-like foliage resists browsing by deer and rabbits and remains evergreen in warmer climates.—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Apr. 2025 The scenic landscape is an important wildlife corridor between the Diablo Range and the Santa Cruz Mountains for mountain lions, bobcats, deer and other species.—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 2025 Andrew Wiggins is playing like a deer in headlights.—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deer
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of deer was
before the 12th century
: 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"
Word Origin
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, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English dēor, 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.
Share