deer
Americannoun
plural
deer,plural
deers-
any of several ruminants of the family Cervidae, most of the males of which have solid, deciduous antlers.
-
any of the smaller species of this family, as distinguished from the moose, elk, etc.
noun
-
any ruminant artiodactyl mammal of the family Cervidae, including reindeer, elk, muntjacs, and roe deer, typically having antlers in the male
-
(in N Canada) another name for caribou
Etymology
Origin of deer
before 900; Middle English der, Old English dēor beast; akin to Gothic dius beast, Old High German tior
Compare meaning
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A lonely coyote stalks the barren ground around oil pump jacks; a dead deer, its eye milky white, lies on a fern-like blanket of boughs.
Elisha called this private upper floor “a sort of sanctuary; a retreat to which we are driven by mischief-making eyes and tongues. There, like wounded deer we escape the hunters.”
From Literature
He said that the mountain lion’s prey of choice, mule deer, have been less readily available lately, potentially making them look for other sources of food.
From Los Angeles Times
As far back as I could remember, Rowdy and I had run along those game trails like two wild deer.
From Literature
“It’s not smart if you’re going to tell him,” said a troll wearing a helmet with deer horns.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
