minibear
minibear noun: a critter, or any animal that is smaller than a bear, that gets into a camper's food, pack, or tent.
Noun
minibear (plural minibears)
- A critter, or any animal that is smaller than a bear, that gets into a camper's food, pack, or tent.
- Almost any place worth camping in comes equipped with a full complement of night-foraging critters. Most are small, like chipmunks, but they are still worthy of the nickname "minibears."2005, Don Jacobson, One-Pan Gourmet Fresh Food On The Trail
- Poor Poncho had been nearly disemboweled during a mini-bear attack. Much of the colorful paper on his outside was ripped off and shredded. Apparently he was a true piñata and had some sweets on his insides.2010, Joseph Torlucci, Out In God's Country, Tonight - An Adult's Re-Experience of Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, New Mexico
- Synonyms:
- microbear
Synonyms of minibear
Forms of minibear
| plural | minibears |
|---|---|
| alternative form | mini-bear |
Origin of minibear
From mini- + bear. Originated as ranger slang at Philmont Scout Ranch, a large scouting camp in New Mexico.
Questions about minibear
- What does minibear mean?
- Minibear means a critter, or any animal that is smaller than a bear, that gets into a camper's food, pack, or tent.
- What part of speech is minibear?
- Minibear is a noun.
- What is the plural of minibear?
- The plural of minibear is minibears.
Words near minibear in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: minibear (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-minibear.ogg.
Cite this entry: “minibear.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/minibear. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.