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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

While overall capybaras are not considered an endangered species, there are lots of vicious predators after them, including jaguars, pumas, caimans, snakes like the boa constrictor, and birds of prey like the caracara and black vulture, among others. —

Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024 Whales, dolphins, jaguars, sloths, turtles, and monkeys, number among the half a million species known to live in Costa Rica. —

Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024 The mountains are home to rare birds and occasionally rarer mammals, like the jaguar, and are considered one of the nation’s most biologically diverse mixing zones of tropical, desert and Rocky Mountain species. —

Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024 The jaguar was recorded by Bernie Krause, of Wild Sanctuary. —

Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jaguar