jaguar

noun

jag·uar | \ ˈja-ˌgwär

, -gyə-ˌwär, -gwər; dialectal -gwī(-ə)r, especially British ˈja-gyə-wər

plural jaguars also jaguar

Definition of jaguar

: a large cat (Panthera onca) chiefly of Central and South America that is larger and stockier than the leopard and is brownish yellow or buff with black spots

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about jaguar

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

The jaguar is the largest New World cat. It was once found in wooded regions from the U.S.-Mexican border south to Patagonia, Currently, the jaguar survives, in reduced numbers, only in remote areas of Central and South America; the largest known population is in the Amazon rain forest. The male is 5.5-9.0 ft. (1.7-2.7 m) long, including the tail, which measures 23-35-in. (60-90-cm) long, and weighs 220-350 lbs. (100-160 kg). The coat is typically orange-tan with black spots arranged in rosettes with a black spot in the center. A solitary predator, the jaguar usually hunts rodents, deer, birds, and fish; it will also take cattle, horses, and dogs.

Examples of jaguar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Peru’s Candamo Valley, one of South America’s most remote pieces of rainforest, wild jaguars still prowl the forest. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Can the Jaguars’ Unique Biology Help It Survive On Our Over-Populated Planet?," 22 May 2018 But, besides occasional jaguars in the extreme Southwest, melanistic big cats have never been documented in the U.S. — across the rest of the nation, the naturally tawny cougar is the only native big cat. 16. — Elisa Neckar, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Big Cats," 8 May 2018 An entire west German town was on lock down after lions, tigers, a bear and a jaguar broke out of a local zoo Friday (June 1). — Maria Clark, NOLA.com, "Lions, tigers, bear (and a jaguar) cause panic after breaking out of German zoo: report," 1 June 2018 The zoo’s female jaguar, Ix Chel, who had given birth to five cubs, was euthanized in September because of kidney failure. — Janet Mcconnaughey, The Seattle Times, "New Orleans zoo returns jaguar in strengthened exhibit," 5 Feb. 2019 But the jaguar stayed near her tree, even after all nine of us showed up for a look. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Can the Jaguars’ Unique Biology Help It Survive On Our Over-Populated Planet?," 22 May 2018 The software not only correctly identified the leopard, its other top guesses—jaguar, cheetah, snow leopard, and Egyptian cat—were all similar-looking cats. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "How computers got shockingly good at recognizing images," 18 Dec. 2018 No people were injured when Valerio, a 3-year-old male jaguar, escaped Saturday morning before the zoo’s scheduled opening. — Kevin Mcgill, The Seattle Times, "Fox is 9th casualty after jaguar’s weekend escape at zoo," 16 July 2018 The jaguar, named Valerio, was sedated by Audubon Zoo staff after he was discovered out of his habitat. — Katherine Lam, Fox News, "Jaguar at New Orleans zoo bit through steel fence before killing 9 animals, will not be euthanized," 19 July 2018

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