Illustration of jaguar
plural jaguars also 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
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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
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The girl is in the Brazilian capital, but the headset transports her to a fictitious Indigenous village in the Atlantic rainforest, where capybaras and jaguars dart across the landscape.
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Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025
Not too long ago, jaguars were enemy number one in this area.
—Will McGough, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Ranchers still blame jaguars when their calves disappear or turn up dead.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 21 May 2025
The footage was grainy but clearly showed a jaguar passing near the camera then slowly vanishing into the trees.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
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Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025
Not too long ago, jaguars were enemy number one in this area.
—Will McGough, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Ranchers still blame jaguars when their calves disappear or turn up dead.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 21 May 2025
The footage was grainy but clearly showed a jaguar passing near the camera then slowly vanishing into the trees.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jaguar
Cite this Entry
“Jaguar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaguar. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jaguar
noun
jag·uar
ˈjag(-yə)-ˌwär 
: a large yellowish brown black-spotted cat of tropical America that is larger and has a more solid build than the leopard
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