leopard
Americannoun
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leopards
plural
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a large, spotted Asian or African carnivore, Panthera pardus, of the cat family, usually tawny with black markings; the Old World panther: all leopard populations are threatened or endangered.
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the fur or pelt of this animal.
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any of various related cats resembling this animal.
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Heraldry. a lion represented from the side as walking, usually with one forepaw raised, and looking toward the spectator.
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Numismatics.
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an Anglo-Gallic gold coin issued by Edward III, equal to half a florin, bearing the figure of a leopard.
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a silver Anglo-Gallic coin issued by Henry V.
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Military. Leopard, a 42-ton (38-metric ton) West German tank with a 105 mm gun.
noun
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Also called: panther. a large feline mammal, Panthera pardus, of forests of Africa and Asia, usually having a tawny yellow coat with black rosette-like spots
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any of several similar felines, such as the snow leopard and cheetah
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a feline, Neofelis nebulosa, of SE Asia and Indonesia with a yellowish-brown coat marked with darker spots and blotches
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heraldry a stylized leopard, painted as a lion with the face turned towards the front
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the pelt of a leopard
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of leopard
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English leopard, labarde, lebarde, from Old French leopard, lebard, leupard, from Late Latin leōpardus, from Greek leópardos, syncopated variant of leontópardos, equivalent to leonto- (stem of léōn ) + párdos; see origin at lion, pard 1
Explanation
A leopard is a large feline, a very distant relative of the sweet kitty purring on your lap. A member of the panther family, the leopard is extinct in some regions and considered vulnerable in others. Leopards look similar to jaguars; they both have distinctive rose-shaped markings that act as camouflage, though leopards are slightly smaller and lighter. In rare cases when a leopard's melanin makes it appear totally black, it's called a black panther. The name of this large cat comes from an ancient belief that it was half lion and half panther — the Greek root leopardos means "lion-panther."
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:
Among the diverse habitats are a salt marsh that serves as a nursery for leopard sharks and bat rays and kelp forests frequented by harbor seals and wrasses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
The company also had to iron out the logistical kinks of night safaris, when visitors might spot a hyena or an elusive leopard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Differences were even seen between the Iriomote cat and the Tsushima leopard cat, two geographically isolated forms of the leopard cat found in Japan.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
A 1990 Denver Business Journal profile noted she had killed a rhinoceros, a lion and a leopard in the preceding year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“You’re only saying that because the leopard appeared to you,” said Tazviona.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Nawee Changpirom has spent years working to rescue trafficked wildlife in Thailand, but even he can sometimes hardly believe the creatures he has found: leopards, hornbills, and once an anteater.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The cat haven has been operating for 28 years and houses 39 different cat species, including cheetahs, bobcats, clouded leopards, cougars and snow leopards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
For young leopards, survival is far from guaranteed: fewer than half reach independence, with male leopards, lions and other predators among the threats they face.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
It follows four rival families of lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs as they compete for dominance, with all the shifting alliances, betrayals and power struggles of a prestige drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars are different species within the genus Panthera.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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