Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

jaguar

American  
[jag-wahr, -yoo-ahr, jag-yoo-er] / ˈdʒæg wɑr, -yuˌɑr, ˈdʒæg yu ər /

noun

  1. a large spotted feline, Panthera onca, of tropical America, having a tawny coat with black rosettes: now greatly reduced in number and endangered in some areas.

jaguar British  
/ ˈdʒæɡjʊə /

noun

  1. a large feline mammal, Panthera onca, of S North America, Central America, and N South America, similar to the leopard but with a shorter tail and larger spots on its coat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of jaguar

1595–1605; < Portuguese < Tupi jaguara

Compare meaning

How does jaguar compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Catwoman appears here as a jaguar warrior, since there were no domestic cats at that point in history in the Americas.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

Rico, who lives with Tina, a female two-toed sloth, in the zoo's jaguar house, has been regularly monitored since the surgery.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025

A California man paid $1,000 to rent a jaguar for an hour-long photo shoot.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2024

Lundberg and his diver companion had found fossils in the same place before, including mammoth teeth, bones of an ancient jaguar and parts of a dire wolf.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

I wandered off and saw two jaguar cubs.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.