cheetah
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheetah
1695–1705; < Hindi cītā < Sanskrit citraka leopard; compare Pali cittaka, Prakrit cittaya
Compare meaning
How does cheetah 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.
See Examples For:
One of the pieces in the exhibition is an A-line shag mini dress in cheetah print that Saar made for herself in 1969, and has been passed through the hands of her daughters and granddaughters.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Now the only cheetah left at the zoo, she feels responsible for impressing the humans who come to see her run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
When Basma, the zoo’s lead cheetah trainer, decides that Chase and Finn would make an excellent pair, Finn is skeptical.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
To better understand how evolution shaped these sounds, the researchers compared domestic cat meows with those of five wild cat species: African wildcat, European wildcat, jungle cat, cheetah, and cougar.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
Dad folded his arms on his chest and studied the cheetah.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
![]()
Similar cases involving cheetahs from Syria, a gorilla from Haiti, and bonobos from Iraq are among those questioned by CITES.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
Mr. Schaller describes the habits of cheetahs, lions and leopards across 1,500 square miles in Serengeti National Park.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Many foreign and local tourists visit the reserve to see its wildlife, including lions, leopards and cheetahs.
From BBC ● May 1, 2024
For years, it seemed most people considered the animals unappealing and preferred seeing “real” predators like lions or cheetahs.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 8, 2024
On the first level, he put enemies of speed: wild dogs, cheetahs, hummingbirds.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
![]()
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.