Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Word of the Day

Blog: Words at Play

Dictionary

bruin

noun bru·in \ˈbrü-ən\

Definition of BRUIN

: bear 1

See bruin defined for kids

ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of BRUIN

Middle Dutch, name of the bear in Reynard the Fox

First Known Use: 15th century

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

Rhymes with BRUIN

ruin, Siouan, yuan

BRUIN Defined for Kids

bruin

noun bru·in \ˈbrü-ən\

Definition of BRUIN for Kids

: ¹bear 1

Learn More About BRUIN

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "bruin"

Nglish: Translation of "bruin" for Spanish speakers

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: bruise (verb)Previous Word in the Dictionary: bruikAll Words Near: bruin

ADVERTISEMENT

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up bruin? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site

Test Your Vocabulary!

10 Charming Words for Nasty People

Put-downs with flair

When "Literally" isn't, well, literal

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Know what this is?

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears

Join Us

Merriam-Webster
on Facebook

Merriam-Webster
on Twitter

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.

See All

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

© Merriam-Webster, Incorporated