puss

¹ American  

[poos] / pʊs /

noun

1. a cat.

2. Informal. a girl or woman: often used as a form of affectionate address.

3. British. a hare.

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puss ² American  

[poos] / pʊs /

noun

Slang.

1. face.

   She smacked him in the puss.

2. mouth.

   Shut your puss before I shut it for you.

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puss ¹ British  

/ pʊs /

noun

1. an informal name for a cat 1 See also pussy 1

2. slang a girl or woman

3. an informal name for a hare

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puss ² British  

/ pʊs /

noun

1. the face

2. a gloomy or sullen expression

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Other Word Forms

• pusslike
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of puss¹

1520–30; akin to Dutch poes, Low German puus-katte, dialectal Swedish kattepus, Norwegian puse ( kat )

Origin of puss²

First recorded in 1880–85, puss is from the Irish word pus lip, mouth

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

puss

Here are four things to know about the purr-fect puss who over the years has charmed his way into the hearts of some of the world's top politicians.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

Local infection can look like redness, swelling and puss from the wounds.

From Fox News ● Dec. 1, 2021

The Virginia Department of Forestry said it had received reports of hairy-looking puss caterpillars in eastern Virginia.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 10, 2020

This black puss, from Brightlingsea in Essex, is doing his best to stop owner Andy Clarke from working at home as an IT company director.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2020

It was in a sort of fury, with its eyes savage, and all its hairs bristling out like a cat’s tail when puss is on the war-path.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

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