reindeer

noun

rein·​deer ˈrān-ˌdir 

: caribou

—used especially for one of the Old World

Examples of reindeer in a Sentence

a large herd of reindeer

Recent Examples on the Web

The temperature finally dropped below 80 degrees, and yet the reindeer are already primed to take their yearly trip from the North Pole. — Joy Harden Bradford, AJC.com, 1 Oct. 2026

School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, might well come closest in approach to Kimberly Belflower’s urgent John Proctor Is The Villain in its insistence that homeroom sadism doesn’t just spring from hormones or reindeer game competition. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026

The world’s estimated 500 million pastoralists have fine-tuned the skill of living off the meat, dairy, fibers, and hides produced by their herds of sheep, cattle, camels, yaks, reindeer, and llamas. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026

Those nutrients fertilize the tundra, which attracts the reindeer, who in turn attract predators like the Arctic fox. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English reindere, from Old Norse hreinn reindeer + Middle English deer animal, deer

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing reindeer

• reindeer moss

Rhymes for reindeer

• headgear
• midyear
• nazir
• ophir
• switchgear
• tuyere
• acyclovir
• asthenosphere
• ganciclovir
• magnetosphere
• atmosphere
• biosphere

Kids Definition

reindeer

noun

rein·​deer ˈrān-ˌdi(ə)r 

plural reindeer also reindeers

: caribou

—used especially for one of the Old World