puss

[ poos ]

/ pʊs /

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noun

a cat.

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

British. a hare.

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Origin of puss

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

OTHER WORDS FROM puss

pusslike, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH puss

pus, puss

Words nearby puss

push up daisies, pushy, pusillanimity, pusillanimous, Puskas, puss, “Puss-in-Boots”, puss in the corner, puss moth, pussy, pussycat

Other definitions for puss (2 of 2)

puss²

[ poos ]

/ pʊs /

noun Slang.

face: She smacked him in the puss.

mouth: Shut your puss before I shut it for you.

Origin of puss

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use puss in a sentence

In other words, in his second term, President Obama needs to kick Richard Nixon right square in the puss.
Obama Has Already Quietly Begun Revising the Government’s War on Drugs|James Higdon|July 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There also was no hesitation to get down and dirty again with Puss in Boots.
Antonio Banderas’s Homecomings|Maria Elena Fernandez|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
On others, he will be the voice of the delightful animated cat in Puss in Boots, whom everyone loves from the Shrek movies.
Antonio Banderas’s Homecomings|Maria Elena Fernandez|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The Spanish star plays a sociopath in his cinematic reunion with Pedro Almodóvar—and a Casanova feline in Puss in Boots.
Antonio Banderas’s Homecomings|Maria Elena Fernandez|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Without warning, he reenacts a love scene from the beginning of the movie, using Puss's Castilian Spanish accent, and cracks up.
Antonio Banderas’s Homecomings|Maria Elena Fernandez|October 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And now naughty puss had run off, and she would come back, perhaps, with the new ribbon all rumpled and soiled.
The Nursery, November 1881, Vol. XXX|Various
Then more seriously, he added: I am afraid we shall have to wait until your birthday really comes round, Puss.
Those Dale Girls|Frank Weston Carruth
And pulling out her puss, she showed a sovrin, a good heap of silver, and an odd-looking little coin.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray
A young and active puss instantly seized it and ran away with her prize, with all the other cats after her.
The Animal Story Book|Various
Whether ‘Puss’ understood this speech or not, she had certainly settled the question in her own way, and very quickly.
The Devil-Tree of El Dorado|Frank Aubrey

British Dictionary definitions for puss (1 of 2)

puss¹

/ (pʊs) /

noun

an informal name for a cat 1 (def. 1) See also pussy 1 (def. 1)

slang a girl or woman

an informal name for a hare

Word Origin for puss

C16: related to Middle Low German pūs, Dutch poes, Lithuanian puz

British Dictionary definitions for puss (2 of 2)

puss²

/ (pʊs) /

noun slang

the face

Irish a gloomy or sullen expression

Word Origin for puss

C17: from Irish pus

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

puss

Origin of puss

OTHER WORDS FROM puss

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH puss

Words nearby puss

Other definitions for puss (2 of 2)

Origin of puss

Words related to puss

How to use puss in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for puss (1 of 2)

Word Origin for puss

British Dictionary definitions for puss (2 of 2)

Word Origin for puss