Meaning & use
reindeer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A large deer with big branching antlers that lives in the cold far north, often kept in herds by people.
Grammar: The plural can be reindeer or reindeers; reindeer is more common.
Patterns
- a herd of reindeer
- reindeer herding
In winter, the Sami people move their reindeer to new grazing land.
We saw a herd of reindeer crossing the snowy road near the Arctic Circle.
Santa's sleigh is traditionally pulled by reindeer.
noununcountable
The meat from this animal, eaten as food.
Grammar: Used like other meat words: reindeer, not 'a reindeer', when talking about food.
Patterns
- roast reindeer
- reindeer stew
The restaurant serves reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberries.
Reindeer is leaner than beef and is popular in northern Scandinavia.
Word forms
| plural | reindeer |
|---|---|
| plural | reindeers |
Common combinations
- reindeer herder
- A reindeer herder follows the animals across the tundra.
- reindeer antlers
- Male reindeer antlers fall off after the mating season.
- wild reindeer
- Wild reindeer roam freely in the mountains of Norway.
- reindeer sleigh
- Tourists can take a reindeer sleigh ride through the snow.
- reindeer moss
- Reindeer moss is actually a type of lichen.
Synonyms and how they differ
- caribou
- Used mainly in North America for the same species, especially wild ones; reindeer is the usual word for domesticated animals in Europe and Asia.
Commonly confused: reindeer or deer? reindeer or elk?
reindeer vs deer
Deer is the general word for the whole family; reindeer is one specific kind with large antlers that lives in the far north.
reindeer vs elk
An elk is a different large deer (called moose in North America); it does not live in herds like reindeer.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Reindeer as meat is uncountable, so 'reindeer meat' without 'a' is correct. Option An is possible but less common than the unchanged plural 'reindeer'; option C is wrong because reindeer live in cold northern regions, not deserts; option D is wrong both because of the habitat and because the plural 'reindeer' would be needed for a general statement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reindeer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.