saber-toothed cat

noun

variants or saber-toothed tiger or less commonly saber-tooth cat or saber-tooth tiger

1

: any of various extinct carnivorous cats (such as genus Smilodon) that were widely distributed in the Oligocene through the Pleistocene of both the Old and New World, are characterized by elongation of the upper canines into curved, piercing or slashing, dagger-like weapons and in enlargement of the gape with corresponding muscular and skeletal changes, and that constitute a distinct felid subfamily (Machairodontinae)

2

: any of various extinct North American, Eurasian, and African catlike carnivores (as of the genera Hoplophoneus and Nimravus of the family Nimravidae) of the Late Eocene to Late Miocene that resemble the typical saber-toothed cats

Examples of saber-toothed cat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The unmistakable remains of an early species of saber-toothed cat, found at Dmanisi with more than 10,000 other bones. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2015

In this one, a mammoth, a saber-toothed cat and a slot team up to return a human baby to its tribe (and the poor Scrat just tries to get his acorn). —Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 29 Nov. 2022

San Diego Natural History Museum visitors may have seen exhibits featuring Smilodon, a large saber-toothed cat that roamed North America during the Pleistocene era, about 10,000 years ago. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2022

These trends and changes tend to be more pronounced and easier to identify in the fossil record; think about how different a Tyrannosaurus rex and a saber-toothed cat are from each other. —Briana Pobiner and Ryan McRae, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1