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The meaning of a word often develops from the general to the specific. For instance, deer is used in modern English to mean several related forms of an animal species, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. The Old English deor, however, could refer to any animal, tame or wild, or to wild animals in general. In time, deer came to be used only for wild animals that were hunted, and then for the red deer, once widely hunted in England. From that usage the term has spread to related animals, becoming somewhat more general again.
Examples of deer in a Sentence
Ari Plachta, Sacramento Bee, 22 Apr. 2024
Smith's father Mike told TMZ — which was first to report the news — that his daughter was a skilled rider and speculated that a deer was the cause of the sudden swerve.
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
Parks and others said debris is still scattered for 100 feet around the former deer stands after the explosions, which occurred over the winter.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2024
Dangers to wildlife:Lead shot in deer carcasses is toxic to eagles, other animals.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Apr. 2024
Sandy Springs officers found a loophole in the city’s leash laws to lead a deer to safety after the animal was struck by a bus, according to a post shared on the department’s Facebook page on April 10.
—Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
In 1984, a mountain lion killed a deer 50 feet from his residence.
—Will McCarthy, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
The government [has] professional shooters shoot deer and quite often leave them in our national parks, [making] the wild dog population worse.
—Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Naturally, the landscape attracts wildlife year-round, which could include deer, moose, and birds of prey.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Deer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deer
nounOld English dēor "wild animal, beast"
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