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Definition of brown bear
brown bear
Plural:brown bears
• noun
1
A large, heavily built, omnivorous bear (Ursus arctos) native to the northern regions of Eurasia and North America, characterized by a prominent shoulder hump, a dished facial profile, and typically brownish fur.
Example
"During the annual salmon run, the brown bear wades into the shallow river to catch its primary source of pre-hibernation protein."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for brown bearWord Nuance & Usage
In North America, the term 'grizzly' typically refers to the inland subspecies of the brown bear, while 'brown bear' is often reserved for the larger coastal populations, though scientifically both belong to the same species.
• Nearby Words
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Brown bear. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/brown%20bear