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.
No-change nouns (nouns that stay singular)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| sheep | sheep |
| deer | deer |
| fish | fish (sometimes fishes) |
| elk | elk |
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.
Example sentences with deer
| Noun: deer | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| deer (plural) |
A herd of deer emerged from the woods. Expect to spot bison, elk, deer, moose, coyote and many winter birds during your ski. Other wildlife one can encounter in the winter includes deer, fox and otter. They tracked several deer prints along the snowy trail. |
| deer (singular) |
I’ve never seen a deer with such big antlers! I came upon a deer with her fawn while walking in the forest. There’s an aggressive deer that regularly visits my house. The buck trotted past the cabin at dusk. |
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.
Examples of “deer” in the media
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.
Where the red deer herd together.
Live mainly upon worms, slugs, and other hardy small deer.
Origin of the word “deer”
From the Old English word deor “wild animal, beast, any wild quadruped”.
Practice: Deer, singular or plural
We 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?
Q: Is “deers” the correct plural form?
Q: Can “deer” be singular too?
Q: Give an example of plural deer use.
Q: What about the plural possessive?
- Dippie, Brian W. "Catlin, George (1796-1872), artist." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 4 Sep. 2025,
- Wagenknecht, Edward. "Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1807-1882), poet and professor of modern languages." American National Biography. February, 2000. Oxford University Press. Date of access 4 Sep. 2025,
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