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Synonyms

panther

1 American  
[pan-ther] / ˈpæn θər /

noun

plural

panthers,

plural

panther

  1. the cougar or puma, Felis concolor.

  2. the leopard, Panthera pardus.

  3. any leopard in the black color phase.

  4. a very fierce person.

  5. Military. Panther, a 43-ton (39-metric ton) German tank of World War II with a 75 mm gun as its main armament.

adjective

  1. fierce; strong and violent.

Panther 2 American  
[pan-ther] / ˈpæn θər /

noun

  1. Black Panther.

panther British  
/ ˈpænθə /

noun

  1. another name for the leopard, esp the black variety, which is known as the black panther

  2. any of various related animals, esp the 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 panther1

First recorded before 1000; from Latin panthēra, from Greek pánthēr; replacing Middle English pantere (from Old French, from Latin ) and Old English pandher (from Latin )

Origin of Panther2

First recorded in 1965–70

Explanation

A panther is a large, black leopard. Panthers are related to the kitty purring in your lap, but they're ten times bigger. When most people think of a panther, they picture a black panther, which is really a leopard with an all-black coat. Strictly speaking, a panther can also be a puma, which is a brown cat that's similar in size to a jaguar. Panther is a Greek word meaning "leopard," and it became commonly (and confusingly) applied to both pumas and cougars in the 18th century.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing panther

For National Pancake Day, Words With the Greek Roots "Pan-"

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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.

In January, Intel introduced the consumer version of the PC chips, code-named Panther Lake, as the first to be designed on “the most advanced semiconductor process ever developed and manufactured in the United States.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Panther Lake was the effort to do that, he said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Their collaborations have given audiences Creed and Black Panther, and now their latest film, Sinners, has delivered the biggest moment yet.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

They moved on to the titular boxer in "Creed," tormented by his father's legacy, and the villainous Killmonger of "Black Panther," traumatized by being an orphan in a racist world.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

I had that Black Panther stuff in me, and it was pouring out at every turn.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

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.