mountain cat

American

noun

a cougar.
a bobcat.

mountain cat British

noun

any of various wild feline mammals, such as the bobcat, lynx, or puma

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mountain cat

First recorded in 1655–65

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.

Local residents had gathered on the beach just beyond a cordon of caution tape to catch a sight of the mountain cat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2023

A legendary mountain cat found in the Green Mountains of Vermont, long extinct from the region.

From Washington Post • Nov. 13, 2019

Harder to cope When things got steeper, and a mountain cat With parti-coloured pelt, light on its feet, In a trice was in my face and stayed like that, Barring my way, encouraging retreat.

From Slate • Apr. 5, 2013

"That mountain cat was tough," grinned Kan, "but no match for that rock."

From Time Magazine Archive

A tall person, broad-shouldered and muscled like a mountain cat.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023