Moose vs. mooses

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Grammarist

moose is a large animal with antlers that is found in the northern forests of America, Europe, and Asia.  It is of the deer family. The plural form is moose, not mooses or meese. Though Mooses is a surname.

Nouns like moose and sheep, which do not change from their singular to plural form, are called invariants. They fall in the category of irregular plurals. Note: Invariant is not a grammatical term and can have a wider meaning.

For terms like glasses and pants, which do not exist in the singular, the grammatical term is plurale tantum. These can also be called defective nouns, along with singulare tantum or words which do not exist in the plural, like dust and information.

Examples

Wildlife Biologist Jess Carstens says the first moose sighting the agency heard about was from a hunter’s trail camera over the weekend. He says the DNR thinks it is the same moose in all of the pictures. [WEAU]

Moose are less likely to move from the road than deer, so drivers are advised to brake when they see a moose in or near the road. Their long legs and top-heavy bodies make moose very dangerous to motorists when struck. [Boston Herald]

It was a taste of things to come, as Northern Ontario is famed for its natural beauty. Its lakes, mountains and forests are home to a wealth of species, from moose and bears to wolves and grouse, and we were crossing our fingers hoping to catch a glimpse of them all. [Express]

Volunteers at the programs were: Tonya Jourdain, Baptizia Sutherland, Rihanna Mooses, and Madison Sutherland. Summer student Anne Thomas also assisted Proulx-Chedore with the programming. [Cochrane Times Post]