puma

American  

[pyoo-muh, poo-] / ˈpyu mə, ˈpu- /

noun

1. cougar.

2. the fur of a cougar.

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puma British  

/ ˈpjuːmə /

noun

1. Also called: cougar.   mountain lion.  a large American feline mammal, Felis concolor, that resembles a lion, having a plain greyish-brown coat and long tail

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Etymology

Origin of puma

1770–80; < Spanish < Quechua

Explanation

A puma is a type of big cat that looks a bit like a lion. In fact, another name for a puma is a mountain lion. Puma, cougar, panther, and mountain lion are different names for the same animal, the Puma concolor. While pumas are quite a bit larger than your family cat (weighing as much as 200 pounds), they are still considered members of the "small cat" species, which include bobcats, lynx, and ocelots, among many others. Pumas are found from northern Canada to South America, the largest range of any land animal in the Americas.

Example Sentences

A SoCal hiker said she thankfully remembered what to do when she encountered the puma — yelling, facing the cat, trying to look big — until it ran off.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

In those cases, high levels of puma predation made the situation worse but were not the primary cause.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

A mountain lion was spotted in California wine country Sunday, just days after another puma had been captured in San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

The female puma - later nicknamed Felicity - was caught by a farmer frustrated by a series of savage attacks on livestock.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2024

I was makin’ up a litter in the monkey-house for a young puma which is ill; but when I heard the yelpin’ and ’owlin’ I kem away straight.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker