cougar

noun

cou·​gar ˈkü-gər 

also -ˌgär

plural cougars also cougar

1

: a large powerful tawny-brown cat (Puma concolor synonym Felis concolor) formerly widespread in the Americas but now reduced in number or extinct in many areas

called also catamount, mountain lion, panther, puma

2

slang : a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger partner

Illustration of cougar

• cougar 1

Synonyms of cougar

• panther

Examples of cougar in a Sentence

in many regions, suburban developments have encroached upon the habitat of the cougar

Recent Examples on the Web

Specialists confirmed the pair of young cougars was the same cubs seen last spring; the first time cougars were known to have reproduced in Michigan in more than a century. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 18 Dec. 2025

Regardless of the source, the number of cougar sightings has been increasing in Michigan since 2019, state officials said. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

That’s according to John Erb, a furbearer and wolf research biologist at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who said the agency has been receiving reports of this cougar in Minnesota since early September, when it was spotted near Fergus Falls. —Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 4 Dec. 2025

She was hired by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in 2011 to raise and train two cougar cubs, brothers Joseph and Tecumseh, that the zoo had obtained from a rehab facility in Nebraska. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French couguar, modification of New Latin cuguacuarana, from Tupi sɨwasuarána, from sɨwásu deer + -ran resembling

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cougar

• huger
• luger

Kids Definition

cougar

noun

cou·​gar ˈkü-gər 

also -ˌgär

plural cougars also cougar

: a large powerful brownish yellow cat formerly widespread in the Americas but no longer found in many areas

called also catamount, mountain lion, panther, puma