deer Definition
deer (dir)
noun pl. deer or deers
- any of a family (Cervidae) of ruminants, including the elk, moose, and reindeer; esp., the smaller species, as the white-tailed deer and mule deer: in most species, usually only the males grow and shed bony antlers annually
- Obsolete any animal; beast
Etymology: ME der < OE deor, wild animal, akin to Ger tier, ON dȳr < IE base *dhewes, *dheus-, to stir up, blow, breathe (> dusk, doze, fury): for sense development cf. animal
deer Synonyms
deer
n.
Types of deer include: American elk, wapiti, European elk, Chinese water deer, African water deerlet, moose, moose deer, western moose, caribou, reindeer, musk deer, Japanese deer, sika, roebuck, red, muntjac, fallow, mule, blacktail, Barbary, spotted, Virginia, white-tailed, tufted, swamp, spotted, Pampas, Persian, Pudu, Philippine, axis, hog deer.
deer Usage Examples
Converse of object
- cull: Samples were taken from all the deer culled within the Forest District.
- hunt: What are normal values from which hunted red deer readily recover?
Adjective modifier
- fallow: The main herds are of fallow deer which now probably number almost a thousand.
- white-tailed: God is multiplying in white-tailed deer behind the houses and crossing the roads.
- Red: Red deer on the open hill in Scotland are an important natural resource.
- red: In the wild, red deer are not found in any numbers in Wales or the Marches.
- wounded: Hundreds of thousands are used to retrieve game and to track wounded deer.
- spotted: The most conspicuous of which is the spotted deer.
Modifies a noun
- antler: The staff handle is made from red deer antler.
- stalker: The Deer Commission's supporting team of deer stalkers carries out a regular program of deer population counts.
- herd: The damage to forestry by deer herds is considerable.
- sedge: On slightly drier sites deer sedge and common heather are abundant.
- roam: A herd of 800 fallow deer roam freely in the Park.
- hunting: The main purpose of roe deer hunting is to provide sport.
Noun used with modifier
- roe: The main purpose of roe deer hunting is to provide sport.
- sika: Moving through the shadows in the forest, roe and sika deer are readily seen.
- muntjac: We also spotted the small copper, and there were muntjac deer in the woods.
- musk: On higher ground we may see musk deer or blue sheep on the crossing from north to south base camp.
- mule: There is also a wide variety of animal life: mule deer, mountain lions, .
- sambar: There are plenty of other animals too including sambar deer, leopard, crocodile, sloth bear and about 300 species of birds.
Browse dictionary entries near deer
- ‹ deeply
- ‹ Deepfreeze
- ‹ deepen
- ‹ deep throat
- ‹ deep structure
- ‹ deep space
- ‹ deep South
- ‹ deep-six
- ‹ deep-set
- ‹ deep-seated
- deer mouse ›
- deer tick ›
- deerfly ›
- deerhound ›
- deerskin ›
- deerstalker ›
- def ›
- def art ›
- deface ›
- defacement ›

