lion

noun

li·​on ˈlī-ən 

plural lions

1

a

or plural lion : a large heavily built social cat (Panthera leo) of open or rocky areas chiefly of sub-Saharan Africa though once widely distributed throughout Africa and southern Asia that has a tawny body with a tufted tail and a shaggy blackish or dark brown mane in the male

b

: any of several large wildcats

especially : cougar sense 1

c

Lion : leo

2

a

: a person felt to resemble a lion (as in courage or ferocity)

b

: a person of outstanding interest or importance

a literary lion

3

Lion [Lions (club)] : a member of a major national and international service club

lionlike

ˈlī-ən-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms of lion

• magnate
• tycoon
• king
• prince
• lord
• baron
• star
• czar
• monarch

Examples of lion in a Sentence

the roar of the lion

He was a literary lion among the writers of his time.

Recent Examples on the Web

England’s Three Lions roared out to a 4-0 lead before France, sacré bleu, fought back to 4-3. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Natural Selection’s new-build camp Tawana is set amid Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, some 1,900 square miles of grassland and flood plain teeming with antelope and elephants, lions and hippos. — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026

On July 23, the Kansong Art Museum in Seoul hosted a ceremony to mark the return of two Qing Dynasty stone lion sculptures to China. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 23 July 2026

The video’s moodiness subtly underscores the fact that the lion’s share of these tracks are built on one muffled breakbeat, which tolls like clockwork across the LP. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lioun, from Anglo-French leun, lion, from Latin leon-, leo, from Greek leōn

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing lion

• ant lion
• aphid lion
• California sea lion
• golden lion tamarin
• lion's den
• lion's mane
• lion's mane mushroom
• lion's share
• mountain lion
• sea lion

Rhymes for lion

• amphitryon
• dandelion
• herodian
• hawaiian
• ixion
• mauryan
• orion
• procyon
• visayan
• heian
• ion
• mayan

Kids Definition

lion

noun

li·​on ˈlī-ən 

plural lion or lions

: a large flesh-eating mammal of the cat family that has a brownish buff coat, a tufted tail, and in the male a shaggy mane and that lives in open or rocky areas of Africa and formerly southern Asia

lionlike

-ˌlīk 

adjective