elk

\ ˈelk

How to pronounce elk (audio)

\

plural elks

Definition of elk

1 plural usually elk

a : moose sense 1 —used for one of the Old World

b : a large gregarious deer (Cervus elaphus) of North America, Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa with the male having large antlers and many tines and that often form large herds

Note: The North American elk is sometimes considered to constitute a separate species (C. canadensis).

— called also red deer, wapiti

c : any of various large Asian deer

2 : soft tanned rugged leather

3 capitalized [Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks] : a member of a major benevolent and fraternal order

Examples of elk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In California, other wildlife species with 100-year highs in population include bears, elk, Sierra bighorn and mountain lions, plus bald eagles, whales and more. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Storm uncovers gold ring embedded in rock," 30 Nov. 2019 The video shows the elk charging at a group of people. — Ashley Boucher, PEOPLE.com, "Park Supervisor Uses Pickup Truck to Protect Tourists from Charging Elk in Colorado," 30 Sep. 2019 Video showed a woman thrown to the ground and poked with the bull elk's antlers, said Jason Clay, a spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. — Dennis Romero, NBC News, "Two people injured in Colorado elk attack captured on video," 28 Sep. 2019 Now, the initial 52 elk have blossomed into a herd of 150 and counting. — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Southern Living, "Three Things I Learned at the Smoky Mountain Elk Fest in Maggie Valley, North Carolina," 19 Sep. 2019 Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho faces two significant changes: opening a season for hunting elk with bows and arrows and extending boating season by a month. — Washington Post, "Conservationists say this move will hurt wildlife and their environment," 13 Sep. 2019 Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge in southern Idaho faces two significant changes: opening a season for hunting elk with bows and arrows and extending boating season by a month. — Keith Ridler, The Know, "A Colorado wildlife refuge will allow hunting and fishing for the first time," 11 Sep. 2019 The hunter was scouting an area to hunt elk in Big Horn Park, about 120 miles northwest of Denver, when the cat attacked. — Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, "Mountain lion attacks young boy in Bailey, child taken to a hospital," 21 Aug. 2019 Hang bird feeders at least 8 feet off the ground to prevent access by deer, elk and bear. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A deer and dog had a wild encounter in a Wauwatosa backyard," 10 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'elk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about elk

Dictionary Entries near elk

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Elizabeth Petrovna

Elk Grove Village

Statistics for elk

Last Updated

14 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Elk.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elk. Accessed 15 December 2019.

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