jaguar

noun

jag·​uar ˈja-ˌgwär  -gyə-ˌwär 

-gwər;

 dialectal  -gwī(-ə)r,

 especially British  ˈja-gyə-wər

plural jaguars also jaguar

: a large cat (Panthera onca) chiefly of Central and South America that is larger and stockier than the leopard and is brownish yellow or buff with black spots

Illustration of jaguar

Did you know?

The jaguar is the largest New World cat. It was once found in wooded regions from the U.S.-Mexican border south to Patagonia, Currently, the jaguar survives, in reduced numbers, only in remote areas of Central and South America; the largest known population is in the Amazon rain forest. The male is 5.5-9.0 ft. (1.7-2.7 m) long, including the tail, which measures 23-35-in. (60-90-cm) long, and weighs 220-350 lbs. (100-160 kg). The coat is typically orange-tan with black spots arranged in rosettes with a black spot in the center. A solitary predator, the jaguar usually hunts rodents, deer, birds, and fish; it will also take cattle, horses, and dogs.

Examples of jaguar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And beyond birds, visitors can also spot mammals like the mantled howler monkey and kinkajou, while evidence of jaguars and other cats has been discovered in the recent past via Mount Totumas Cloud Forest’s trail camera system. —Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024

In the Pantanal region of South America, the rainforest habitat supports the highest density of jaguars in the world. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024

Is there a new jaguar in Arizona?Trail cameras detect a cat in the Huachuca Mountains Rare jaguar sightings in the US Jaguars evolved in North America, eventually moving south to Central and South America. —Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 29 Jan. 2024

Deadly Bite by Ian Ford Photographer Ian Ford got a call over the radio to tell him a jaguar had been spotted around the banks of a tributary of the São Lourenço River in Brazil. —Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, from Tupi jawára large carnivore

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

jaguar

noun

jag·​uar ˈjag(-yə)-ˌwär 

: a large yellowish brown black-spotted cat of tropical America that is larger and has a more solid build than the leopard