Definition of puma in US English:



  • A large American wild cat with a plain tawny to grayish coat, found from Canada to Patagonia.

    Felis concolor, family Felidae

    Also called cougar, mountain lion, or (North American) panther
    • ‘Even easily recognizable species such as bobcat, puma, tiger, leopard, cheetah and ocelot were unstudied, and virtually nothing was known about what they needed in terms of space and food.’
    • ‘But a new survey suggests that the country may now be home to wild leopards, pumas, and other big cats.’
    • ‘Cougars are also known as mountain lions, panthers, and pumas.’
    • ‘Animals used to make fur include dogs, cats, pumas, seals, badgers, foxes, otters, mink and squirrels.’
    • ‘Although we have conserved significant areas, even the largest parks are too small to maintain independent populations of large carnivores like pumas, wolves, and grizzlies.’
    • ‘This is the mountain lion, the puma, the cougar.’
    • ‘Cougar, puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther - by any name, this big cat has inspired wilderness lovers across the country.’
    • ‘Terborgh found that predators such as pumas, jaguars, anacondas, eagles, armadillos, and some weasels were not able to persist on islands smaller than 37 acres.’
    • ‘Known variously as pumas, panthers, or mountain lions, cougars are fairly common in the West, but not in the East.’
    • ‘Known by many names - puma, cougar, catamount, panther - this large feline predator was once wide-spread throughout much of North America.’
    • ‘Between dives, there is the whole park to explore, a lagoon with manatees, turtle pools, flamingos, parrots, pumas, jaguars, butterflies and a few small Mayan ruins.’
    • ‘The British Big Cats Society says its 15-month survey indicates there is little doubt that big cats such as leopards, lynxes and pumas are roaming Britain.’
    • ‘Long-term studies of solitary cats such as tigers, pumas, leopards, cheetahs and lynx have shown that male cubs usually leave the area where they were born and wander in search of a territory.’
    • ‘In the event that it decides to develop the area, there will be serious risks to the health and long-term survival of the region which is home to jaguars, pumas, tapirs and many more endangered species.’
    • ‘Elk, mule deer, wild turkeys, black bears, and pumas still roam the range, beneficiaries of its remoteness.’
    • ‘This country's big wildcat - called a puma or mountain lion or panther in different regions - is common in some units of the National Park System west of the Mississippi River.’
    • ‘The big cat - thought to be either a puma or a panther - has been blamed for mauling several sheep after being set loose by a rogue owner who faced prosecution once it was caught, police said.’
    • ‘Docile and inoffensive by nature, the anteater's principal enemies are the puma and the jaguar.’


Late 18th century: via Spanish from Quechua.