puma

pu·ma
P3U1M3A1
/puːmə//pjuːmə/

noun

A mountain lion or cougar (Puma concolor).

Similar
cougarcatamountmountain lionpainterpantherFelis concolor
OriginSpanish puma ← Quechua puma →
CommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

puma1

nounpuma (plural pumas)

plural pumas

  1. AustraliaNew ZealandUKA mountain lion or cougar (Puma concolor).
  2. broadlyAny feline belonging to the genus Puma.
  3. slangA woman in her 20s or 30s who seeks relationships with younger men; a younger cougar.
    1 more example

    “Younger can be good. How much younger?” Regina asked, inspecting the appetizer plates for any lingering bites. “I don't know,” Alexa said frowning. “Why does that matter?” “Less than eight years makes you a Puma. Over eight years makes you a Cougar,” Regina said wisely, grinning as Lauren nodded excitedly in agreement.

    2011, Donna McDonald, Dating A Cougar, →ISBN

Puma2

proper noun
  1. A village in the Solomon Islands.
  2. An administrative ward in the Singida Rural district of Tanzania.
  3. A Kiranti language spoken in Nepal.

Puma3

nounPuma (plural Pumas)

plural Pumas

  1. An athletic shoe or other piece of athletic gear of a German-based brand of that name.

    Joe Fortune shook his head, swung his legs over the edge of the bunk, and put on his Pumas.

    1989, Daniel Lynch, chapter 5, in Bad Fortune, New York, N.Y.: Pinnacle Books, Windsor Publishing Corp., →ISBN, page 42

Synonyms & antonyms

nounlarge American feline resembling a lion

Similar
cougarcatamountmountain lionpainterpantherFelis concolor
Broader
wildcat
Also see
catamountcougarmountain lionpainterpanther

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

puma · noun

  1. Quechuapuma
  2. Spanishpuma
  3. Englishpuma

Borrowed from Spanish puma, borrowed from Quechua puma, from Proto-Quechuan *puma.

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Puma · noun

See puma; the name was chosen to highlight ideas of strength, agility, and grace often associated with the large cat.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with puma

Montezumasatsumaakumapneumastruma
All rhymes →

Anagrams

paummapuupma
Cite this entry
APA

puma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puma

MLA

“puma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puma. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “puma,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/puma.

Source: puma on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.