What’s the plural of “deer”?
A doe is a deer (a female deer), but what if you want to refer to more than one of the sweet doe? What’s the correct plural of deer, deer or deers?
- The plural of deer is deer (without the “s” at the end).
- Deers as a plural is nonstandard, and most sources advise against its use.
A note on the term nonstandard: nonstandard means something similar to, “non-conforming”, “nonconventional” or not the preferred method. Nevertheless, even those sources that say certain words or phrases are nonstandard also admit that we recognize them as words that people use in English; and that they exist. Whether we ourselves endorse their usage is a separate matter.
Deer: singular & plural
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| moose | moose |
| fish | fish (sometimes fishes) |
| elk | elk |
| deer | deer |
| bison | bison (or bisons) |
Are deer the same as “elk” or “moose”?
Deer refer to “ruminant mammals of the family Cervidae”. Cervidae is a family, i.e., the “deer” family, which includes several deer species, including moose and elk. In other words, moose and elk are both species within the cervidae or deer family; which means that both moose and elk are types or subspecies of deer.
Examples of sentences using “deer” (plural)
There are many types of deer.
He likes to watch deer frolic in his garden.
I slept in the sunshine on a large tussock and woke to the sound of deer walking on the hillside.
—Ken Catania, How to Hunt for Star-Nosed Moles (and Their Holes)
Group names & gender names for deer
- Male deer are bucks, female deer are doe, and baby deer are a fawn, kid, or calf.
- Deer in groups are “a herd”, as in, “a herd of deer”. Also, a mob, bunch, parcel, or rangale.
The plural of “deer,” use the phrase: “One deer, many deer.”
Examples of “deer” in the media
People assume deer will learn to look both ways, and the dumb ones will be selected out of the population.
Officials recently said Michigan’s 2014 deer hunting harvest was down about 15 percent from 2013, due in part to severe winter weather in recent years.
Police said the deer didn’t seem to be seriously hurt.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2023
Origin of the word “deer”
Deer derives from the Old English word deor “wild animal, beast, any wild quadruped,” from Etymonline on deer.
In review: the plural of deer
- Deer shows no change between its singular and plural forms; i.e., both are just deer (without the “s”).
- This makes it an irregular noun form: regular plurals attach “s”/“es” to denote a plural.
- Because deer appears the exact same in both cases, we rely on other aspects within the sentence to give away the noun’s count.
- Some use deers as a plural, which is accepted though nonstandard and not preferred.
Practice: Deer, singular or plural
Question 1 of 5We saw a herd of ______ in the forest during our hike.
A single ______ grazed peacefully in the meadow at dawn.
How many ______ are there in the park’s wildlife enclosure?
That ______ has a magnificent set of antlers.
All of the ______ vanished into the woods when they heard us approach.
FAQs
Q: What is the plural of deer?
A: The plural of “deer” is “deer” itself, without adding an “-s”. It functions as both the singular and plural form of the noun. This makes it an irregular noun.Q: Is “deers” the correct plural form?
A: No, “deers” as a plural is considered nonstandard. Most sources advise against using it, although it is recognized as a form people might use.Q: Can “deer” be singular too?
A: Yes, “deer” serves as both the singular and plural form of the noun. You would say “a solitary deer” for one and “a group of deer” for many.Q: Give an example of plural deer use.
A: An example from the post is: “We saw a small group of deer in the field.” This shows “deer” being correctly used to refer to more than one animal in a sentence.Q: What about the plural possessive?
A: Using “deer’s” for the plural possessive is incorrect. “Deer’s” is for the singular possessive. You’d likely restructure to avoid it for plural.Sources
- Plural of deer
- “Cervidae.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cervidae. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
- “Family (biology).” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 Dec. 2023. Web. 17 Dec. 2023.
- Terms for male/female deer
Yash, D. "How to Use Deer Plural (Explained, With Examples)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/deer-plural/.
