variants
also puma
as in panthers
a large tawny cat of the wild
adult pumas can sometimes weigh over 200 pounds
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of pumas
Cougars, mountain lions, panthers and pumas are the same cat species — puma concolor, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance website.
—
Olga R. Rodriguez, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Chile’s Torres Del Paine is famous for its stunning landscapes, but also for being home to a fierce predator, the puma.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
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
Throughout the collection, which was designed to honor the Quechua artisans and Andes communities whom the brand has collaborated with, styles feature and celebrate the sacred Peruvian symbols of the condor, puma and snake.
—Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 13 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
At the outset of this meditative novel, a pair of out-of-work twins who are haunted by their parents’ histories as thieves and killers decide to go on a hunt for a puma that is terrorizing farmers and livestock in the highlands of Tasmania.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the International Big Cat Alliance to save seven big cats – tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and pumas – which now has 11 member countries.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Olga R. Rodriguez, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Chile’s Torres Del Paine is famous for its stunning landscapes, but also for being home to a fierce predator, the puma.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
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
Throughout the collection, which was designed to honor the Quechua artisans and Andes communities whom the brand has collaborated with, styles feature and celebrate the sacred Peruvian symbols of the condor, puma and snake.
—Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 13 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
At the outset of this meditative novel, a pair of out-of-work twins who are haunted by their parents’ histories as thieves and killers decide to go on a hunt for a puma that is terrorizing farmers and livestock in the highlands of Tasmania.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the International Big Cat Alliance to save seven big cats – tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and pumas – which now has 11 member countries.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pumas
Noun
-
Our manatees, panthers, bears and countless other species rely on healthy ecosystems to survive, ecosystems that are shrinking daily due to human encroachment and legislative negligence.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
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Falco knew about its lore, how a panther once stalked the community for months.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In one, a therapist-like figure helps a young man through a question about how to improve communication with his mother—then starts serving him ads for hot cougars in his area.—
Julia Black,
Vanity Fair,
8 Feb. 2026
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Male cougars are extremely territorial, and two landowners located near each other accounted for nine of the 31 reports.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pumas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pumas. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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