bobcat

noun

bob·​cat ˈbäb-ˌkat How to pronounce bobcat (audio)
: a common North American lynx (Lynx rufus) reddish in base color with dark markings

Illustration of bobcat

Illustration of bobcat

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Miami University students captured a video of a bobcat near campus last month. Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 16 Dec. 2022 The announcement comes on the heels of a recorded bobcat sighting in a Summit County Metroparks conservation area. Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, 14 Dec. 2022 Over the last 30 days, Frisco residents have reported at least 36 bobcat and coyote sightings, according to the city’s animal sighting map. Dallas News, 23 Nov. 2022 The virus has also been found in a bobcat in California, a skunk in Colorado, a raccoon in Washington, possums in Illinois and Iowa, a mountain lion and grizzly bear in Nebraska, seals in Maine and even a bottlenose dolphin in Florida. Jen Christensen, CNN, 14 Feb. 2023 Thousands of trail cameras sit in Wisconsin's forests, plains and pastures, silently waiting to capture an image of a passing elk, a curious bobcat or a pack of galloping otters. Beck Andrew Salgado, Journal Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2023 Wildlife Corridors of New Mexico, who has taken on the task of documenting the movements of six species—black bear, elk, mule deer, bobcat, pronghorn, and mountain lion—between the mountain ranges of northern New Mexico and their river valleys. Guest, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2015 The next day the bobcat was moved to the Pilar & Chuck Bahde Wildlife Center in San Diego, where veterinarians administered pain medications and treated the cat for abrasions and minor contusions. San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Feb. 2023 With an increase in the bobcat population in the state over the last two decades, the Saunderstown clinic has in recent years received several bobcats in need of its rehabilitative services, Mouradjian said. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bobcat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

bob entry 4; from the stubby tail

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bobcat was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near bobcat

Cite this Entry

“Bobcat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bobcat. Accessed 21 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

bobcat

noun
bob·​cat ˈbäb-ˌkat How to pronounce bobcat (audio)
: a common usually rusty-colored North American lynx with dark spots

More from Merriam-Webster on bobcat

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