elk

noun

\ ˈelk

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

Hunters and people who eat deer, elk, and moose meat are theoretically the most at risk. — Korin Miller, SELF, "What You Need to Know About So-Called 'Zombie' Deer Disease," 20 Feb. 2019 Now in its 25th year, the center has over 200 acres of habitat for the animals — including moose, wood bison, deer, elk, birds of prey, musk ox, coyotes and reindeer. — Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, "A primer on Alaska animals and where to see them (safely)," 2 May 2018 Park officials don’t know whether the same elk and the same calf are involved in both cases. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Your chances of hitting a deer in Georgia are greater than you think," 7 June 2018 The images also allowed wildlife biologists to estimate the cow-to-calf ratio of the elk herd. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Snapshot Wisconsin trail cam project poised to go statewide," 6 July 2018 Wildlife: This year’s elk calves are now being born (late May into early June is the peak time for calving). — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Summer arrives: Light the fuse and stand back," 31 May 2018 Clayvin Herrera, shown at the Supreme Court plaza on Tuesday, is a Crow tribal member asserting his right a 150-year-old treaty with the U.S. government to hunt elk in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "Kavanaugh Delivers First Supreme Court Opinion as Ginsburg Is Absent," 8 Jan. 2019 The facility had 58 whitetails and 13 elk on 15 acres in Kewaskum, according to DATCP. — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Transferred Kewaskum deer cause CWD concerns in Bayfield County," 4 Apr. 2018 Hitting a bull elk with his .300 Winchester Magnum from a couple hundred yards is one thing. — Smith Henderson, Popular Mechanics, "You Could Live Here Alone Forever," 11 Jan. 2017

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.