puss

¹ American  

[poos] / pʊs /

noun

1. a cat.

2. Informal. a girl or woman: often used as a form of affectionate address.

3. British. a hare.

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puss ² American  

[poos] / pʊs /

noun

Slang.

1. face.

   She smacked him in the puss.

2. mouth.

   Shut your puss before I shut it for you.

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puss ¹ British  

/ pʊs /

noun

1. an informal name for a cat 1 See also pussy 1

2. slang a girl or woman

3. an informal name for a hare

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puss ² British  

/ pʊs /

noun

1. the face

2. a gloomy or sullen expression

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pusslike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of puss¹

1520–30; akin to Dutch poes, Low German puus-katte, dialectal Swedish kattepus, Norwegian puse ( kat )

Origin of puss²

First recorded in 1880–85, puss is from the Irish word pus lip, mouth

Example Sentences

Here are four things to know about the purr-fect puss who over the years has charmed his way into the hearts of some of the world's top politicians.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Local infection can look like redness, swelling and puss from the wounds.

From Fox News • Dec. 1, 2021

It’s normal for Day to get reports of a few puss caterpillars a year, but he has already received about 20 inquiries — 10 times what he usually gets.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2020

Three days later the pilfering puss produced another two pairs.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2020

It was in a sort of fury, with its eyes savage, and all its hairs bristling out like a cat’s tail when puss is on the war-path.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker