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Definition of grizzly bear

grizzly bear

Plural:grizzly bears
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• noun

1

North American A large, powerful subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) native to the inland regions of western North America, characterized by a prominent muscular shoulder hump, long claws, and a coat typically flecked with gray.

Example

"While hiking in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, we carried bear spray as a precaution against encountering a grizzly bear."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for grizzly bear

Word Nuance & Usage

The spelling 'grizzly' refers to the bear's gray-flecked (grizzled) coat, though it is frequently confused with the homophone 'grisly', which means gruesome or horrific.

• Nearby Words

gritty
grizzled
grizzly
grizzly bear
groan
groaner
groaningly

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Grizzly bear. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/grizzly-bear
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