bobcat
Americannoun
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bobcats,
plural
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bobcat
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bobcat
An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; bob(tail) + cat ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does bobcat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
If you spot an animal in the woods that's about twice as big as your pet tabby, with spots like a leopard and a very short tail, it's probably a bobcat! Bobcats, a type of lynx, live all across North America, from Canada to Mexico. They prefer wooded areas, although they're also found in the mountains, in deserts, and even in the swamps of Florida. Bobcats, named for their short "bobbed" tails, prey on rabbits, chickens and other birds, rodents of various types, and even deer. Unlike their relatives, Canadian lynx, bobcats don't move easily through snow, but they're tough and adaptable enough to thrive in the north anyway.
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.
See Examples For:
I live in the foothills where bear, bobcat and mountain lion sightings break up the tedium of coyote and raccoon encounters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
OK, yes, maybe you still have questions about the bobcat pee thing.
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2024
If you saw a red-tailed hawk injured after colliding with an office window, or a bobcat hit by a car, what would you do?
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2024
Initially skeptical -- bobcats are rarely spotted during the day out in the open -- Duffy eventually went to check and there they were: six clear bobcat prints in the sandy soil.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024
Fox, badger, bobcat, and wolf they circled the fire and on the fourth time they jumped into that animal’s skin.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
With fewer coyotes and bobcats present, foxes appeared to benefit.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
But Gargano says the neighbourhood is peaceful and her cameras mostly capture coyotes and bobcats.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2026
In the Vermont woods where Mr. Hoagland lives, coyotes have replaced wolves while bobcats have taken the place of Canada lynx.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
They also serve as an important food source for large predators like bobcats in the Southeast.
From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2024
The city sprawls across seventy-eight square miles, stretching from the shallow, salty estuary at the edge of San Francisco Bay to the undulating green-and-gold hills where bobcats and coyotes roam.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
