1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

mountain lion

noun

Synonyms of mountain lionnext
: cougar sense 1

Synonyms of mountain lion

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of mountain lion in a Sentence

the problems created by mountain lions coming into contact with humans in suburban developments
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In these areas, coyotes and mountain lions are a mule deer’s primary predators. — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026 Then, in 2024, voters rejected a proposal that would have banned hunting mountain lions, bobcats and lynx. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Earlier this month, a mountain lion was seen roaming around in the city's Panhandle neighborhood just east of Golden Gate Park. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026 According to the sheriff’s office, deputies killed the mountain lion because of the injury, the animal’s proximity to locations frequented by children and its presence in a populated area. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mountain lion

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1615, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mountain lion was circa 1615

Rhymes for mountain lion

See All Rhymes for mountain lion

Browse Nearby Words

mountain limestone
mountain lion
mountain lover
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mountain lion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountain%20lion. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

mountain lion

noun
: cougar

More from Merriam-Webster on mountain lion

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mountain lion

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All