snow leopard

American  

noun

snow leopards plural

1. a long-haired, leopardlike feline, Panthera (Uncia ) uncia, of mountain ranges of central Asia, having a relatively small head and a thick, creamy-gray coat with rosette spots: an endangered species.

---

snow leopard British  

noun

1. Also called: ounce.  a large feline mammal, Panthera uncia, of mountainous regions of central Asia, closely related to the leopard but having a long pale brown coat marked with black rosettes

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• snow leopards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of snow leopard

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snow leopard

And who can find a snow leopard when he needs one?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

So far this year, she has starred in the nearly billion-dollar-grossing blockbuster hit “A Minecraft Movie” and voiced a villainous snow leopard in “The Bad Guys 2.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

It's a snow leopard raising its tail against a nearby rock.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025

Here, researchers collected eDNA from tracks left by wild Alaskan polar bears and Swedish Eurasian lynx, as well as captive polar bears, lynx, and a snow leopard kept in wildlife parks in Sweden and Finland.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 5, 2023

His dæmon, the snow leopard, sprang up to follow him, and he turned to adjust something beside her.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman