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

The Puma, who is 10-1 on the morning line, is a son of Eve of War, a mare Kahn owns with Hidden Brook Farm in Paris, Ky.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Chief Wallabee didn’t race as a 2-year-old, one of four such horses in the Derby along with The Puma, Emerging Market and Potente.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Puma, who manufacture kits for the likes of Portugal, Morocco and New Zealand, are charging higher prices than Adidas, but lower than Nike.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Puma stock was up 8%, or 1.71 euros, to 23.36 euros in afternoon European trade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

One guy hand-painted T-shirts with popular logos, like Puma and Nike with the swish.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda