black bear

noun

1. brown to black North American bear; smaller and less ferocious than the brown bear

• Syn: ↑American black bear, ↑Ursus americanus, ↑Euarctos americanus

• Hypernyms: ↑bear

• Hyponyms: ↑cinnamon bear

• Member Holonyms: ↑Euarctos, ↑genus Euarctos

2. bear with a black coat living in central and eastern Asia

• Syn: ↑Asiatic black bear, ↑Ursus thibetanus, ↑Selenarctos thibetanus

• Hypernyms: ↑bear

• Member Holonyms: ↑Selenarctos, ↑genus Selenarctos

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noun

1. : the common American bear (Ursus americanus or Euarctos americanus) known in a number of color phases from typical black through various shades of brown or gray to white

2. : an Asiatic bear (Selenarctos thibetanus or Ursus thibetanus) that is usually black and larger than the American black bear

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a medium-sized North American bear, Ursus (Euarctos) americanus, relatively common in uninhabited mountainous areas, ranging from light brown to black with a straight brown muzzle: northern populations may be gray to near-white. See illus. under bear.

[1735-45]

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black bear noun

An American or Asiatic bear, usu black but sometimes brown

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Main Entry: ↑black

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black bear,

1. the common species of North American bear, growing about 5 feet long. The color of its dense fur varies between black, brown, gray, and white.

2. an Asiatic bear, smaller than the American variety, having a large, white, crescent-shaped mark on the chest.

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n. a medium-sized forest-dwelling bear with blackish fur and a paler face, found in North America and eastern Asia. ● Two species, family Ursidae: the American black bear (Ursus americanus), with a wide range of coat color, and the smaller Asian black bear (Selenarctos thibetanus)

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noun, pl ⋯ bears [count]

: a North American bear that usually has black fur