black bear

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

black′ bear′, 

1. Zoology, Mammals 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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

black bear noun

1. American black bear ⇒ a bear, Euarctos (or Ursus) americanus, inhabiting forests of North America. It is smaller and less ferocious than the brown bear
2. Asiatic black bear ⇒ a bear, Selenarctos thibetanus, of central and E Asia, whose coat is black with a pale V-shaped mark on the chest