bison
noun
bi·son ˈbī-sᵊn 
-zᵊn
-zᵊn plural bison
: any of several large living or extinct bovine mammals (genus Bison) that have a long, broad head, short, hollow horns, heavy forequarters, a large muscular hump across the shoulders, and a shaggy mane on the head and lower neck and that typically live and migrate in herds: such as
a
: american bison
b
: european bison
bisontine
ˈbī-sᵊn-ˌtīn
adjective -zᵊn-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Mix salt and pepper to taste into the ground bison. 
Tribune News Service, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2022 Where those native grazers no longer dominate — think of the vanished bison from the American prairies, for example — domestic livestock can fill the same role. Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2022 After being hunted nearly to extinction, the American bison has slowly come back in the West and is a common sight at Yellowstone National Park. Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 16 Aug. 2022 Thanks to the same hard-fought regional campaign that first attracted federal interest in the Wichitas, the New York Zoological Park donated 15 bison to help the refuge establish a new herd and prevent the animal’s extinction. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2021 The tribes have begun reintroducing bison to their traditional grazing lands for ecological and cultural revitalization. Kylie Mohr, Wired, 23 Oct. 2021 Custer is truly a national-caliber state park, thanks to its high-winding scenic drives and a safari-like Wildlife Loop starring pronghorn, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, burros, the elusive mountain goat, and around 1,400 bison. Simon Peter Groebner, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021 And to build food independence, one tribe raises bison, some of which are killed each year. Rodney Ho, ajc, 12 July 2022 The man and child were thrown into the air but were able to sprint away from the bison, which walked away. Christian Martinezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 See More
Tribune News Service, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2022 Where those native grazers no longer dominate — think of the vanished bison from the American prairies, for example — domestic livestock can fill the same role. Bob Holmes, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2022 After being hunted nearly to extinction, the American bison has slowly come back in the West and is a common sight at Yellowstone National Park. Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 16 Aug. 2022 Thanks to the same hard-fought regional campaign that first attracted federal interest in the Wichitas, the New York Zoological Park donated 15 bison to help the refuge establish a new herd and prevent the animal’s extinction. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2021 The tribes have begun reintroducing bison to their traditional grazing lands for ecological and cultural revitalization. Kylie Mohr, Wired, 23 Oct. 2021 Custer is truly a national-caliber state park, thanks to its high-winding scenic drives and a safari-like Wildlife Loop starring pronghorn, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, burros, the elusive mountain goat, and around 1,400 bison. Simon Peter Groebner, Star Tribune, 23 July 2021 And to build food independence, one tribe raises bison, some of which are killed each year. Rodney Ho, ajc, 12 July 2022 The man and child were thrown into the air but were able to sprint away from the bison, which walked away. Christian Martinezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin bisont-, bison, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wisant aurochs; akin to Old Prussian wissambrs aurochs
First Known Use
circa 1611, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing bison
Kids Definition
bison
noun
bi·son ˈbī-sᵊn
-zᵊn
plural bison
: a large animal with short horns and a shaggy mane that is related to the cows and oxen