variants
also cougar
as in panthers
a large tawny cat of the wild
in many regions, suburban developments have encroached upon the habitat of the cougar
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cougars
Mountain lions are also known as cougars, pumas, panthers or catamounts, and there are projected to be 3,800 to 4,400 mountain lions currently in the wild in Colorado, the CPW noted.
—
Mason Leath, ABC News, 2 Jan. 2026
Mountain lions — also known as cougars, pumas or catamounts — can weigh 130 pounds and grow to more than 6 feet long.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
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
Footage of the incident shows the mountain lion — the species also known as a cougar, puma or panther — lurking in some brush at the Orange County park, peeking its face tentatively from a spot behind some leaves.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Even in states where cougars breed, such as Colorado or California, human conflict with the animals is rarer than being struck by lightning.
—Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Mason Leath, ABC News, 2 Jan. 2026
Mountain lions — also known as cougars, pumas or catamounts — can weigh 130 pounds and grow to more than 6 feet long.
—Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
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
Footage of the incident shows the mountain lion — the species also known as a cougar, puma or panther — lurking in some brush at the Orange County park, peeking its face tentatively from a spot behind some leaves.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
Even in states where cougars breed, such as Colorado or California, human conflict with the animals is rarer than being struck by lightning.
—Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cougars
panthers
Noun
-
Footage of the incident shows the mountain lion — the species also known as a cougar, puma or panther — lurking in some brush at the Orange County park, peeking its face tentatively from a spot behind some leaves.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Ten minutes before kickoff on the first Friday in October, the giant inflatable tunnel sags and the giant inflatable panther perched atop it is just about snout-to-turf.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cougars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cougars. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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