grizzly bear

noun

: a very large brown bear (Ursus arctos) of northwestern North America

Note: The grizzly bear is the same species as the brown bear, but grizzly bear is typically used for the North American brown bear and not the European or Asian brown bear. In the U.S., grizzly bear is most often used for a brown bear of inland habitats (as in Montana and western Canada) that is typically smaller than coastal brown bears and usually has lighter-colored tips on the fur. The grizzly bear is often considered a subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis) of the brown bear and, especially formerly, a separate species (Ursus horribilis).

The brown bears of Kodiak Island, the grizzly bears of the Rocky Mountains and interior Alaska, the European brown bear, all are now considered to be the same species, Ursus arctos, despite tremendous variation in color, size, and habits.

—Natural History

called also grizzly

Examples of grizzly bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kodiaks are larger than brown or grizzly bears, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and male bears of the species can be over 10 feet tall when standing on their hind legs. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 1 Feb. 2024

In conversations about grizzly bear recovery in the Lower 48, the Bitterroot ecosystem has long been accompanied by an asterisk. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Jan. 2024

California grizzly bears were about the same size as today’s living grizzlies—roughly 440 pounds—which is much smaller than the 2,000 pounds often reported at the time, the researchers found. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024

Among its first eternal residents was a mountain man who killed a grizzly bear and vice versa somewhere out in Malibu. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024

While this practice cleared vast landscapes of wolves, grizzly bears and other animals, coyotes only became more abundant. —Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 2 Feb. 2024

Yes, in addition to the California poppy, California redwood, grizzly bear, and garibaldi fish, the pallid bat and the golden chanterelle are now official state symbols. —Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 3 Jan. 2024

These activities will still be allowed during the remaining three months of the year when grizzly bears are in their dens. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2024

During torpor, grizzly bears can wake up and move around, contrary to popular belief that bears sleep during their entire hibernation, according to the organization. —Makiya Seminera, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

grizzly bear

noun

: a large powerful brown bear found from the northwestern U.S. to Alaska