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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

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of snow leopard

First recorded in 1865–70


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.

See Examples For:

The university team previously monitored snow leopard populations in Kazakhstan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

In one of India's coldest and most remote regions, a group of women have taken on an unlikely role: protecting one of Asia's most elusive predators, the snow leopard.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

Locally, the snow leopard is known as Shen and the women call their group "Shenmo".

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 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

Lord Asriel climbed in beside her, and the snow leopard leapt in, too, the half-stunned monkey in her mouth.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

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