Meaning & use
moose
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Meanings
nouncountable
A very large deer that lives in the forests of northern North America and Europe, whose males have wide flat antlers.
Grammar: The plural is also moose, never 'mooses': one moose, two moose.
Patterns
- a moose in the forest
- hunt moose
- a bull moose
We saw a moose standing in the shallow water at the edge of the lake.
Moose are common in the forests of Alaska and northern Canada.
A bull moose can weigh more than a small car.
noununcountable
The meat of this animal, eaten as food.
Grammar: Used like 'beef' or 'venison', with no plural and no article.
Patterns
- eat moose
- moose stew
Her grandmother made a rich stew with moose and root vegetables.
Moose is leaner than beef, so it needs slow cooking.
Common combinations
- a bull moose
- A bull moose crossed the road right in front of our car.
- moose antlers
- The cabin wall was decorated with a huge pair of moose antlers.
- hunt moose
- They hunt moose every fall to fill their freezer for winter.
- a moose population
- The moose population has grown since wolves were reintroduced.
- moose tracks
- We followed moose tracks through the fresh snow.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- moose noun
- The same form is used for one animal or several; there is no separate plural.
Commonly confused: moose or mousse? moose or elk?
moose vs mousse
'Mousse' sounds the same but means a light, fluffy food or hair product; 'moose' is the animal.
moose vs elk
Learners often mix these up: a moose is dark, solitary and has broad flat antlers, while an elk is lighter brown and lives in herds.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural of 'moose' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Moose' keeps the same form in the plural, so 'three moose' is correct. 'Mooses' and 'moosen' are not English words, and 'moose's' is a possessive, not a plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.