Illustration of jaguar
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
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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.
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Each bottle is painted with one of six native Mexican species—the axolotl, jaguar, monarch butterfly, dwarf jay, Tamaulipas owl, or Mexican wolf that are assigned randomly for each purchase—houses an extra añejo that rests for three years in both new American and European oak.
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Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Black panthers are not a separate species, but rather a name given to melanistic leopards, found in Africa and Asia, and melanistic jaguars, found in South America, according to Britannica.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
The bottle designs for this year’s collection are said to be inspired by a few different animals that are native to Mexico: axolotl, jaguar, monarch butterfly, dwarf jay, Tamaulipas owl, and the Mexican wolf.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 June 2025
The girl is in the Brazilian capital, but the headset transports her to a fictitious Indigenous village in the Atlantic rainforest, where capybaras and jaguars dart across the landscape.
—Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025
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Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Black panthers are not a separate species, but rather a name given to melanistic leopards, found in Africa and Asia, and melanistic jaguars, found in South America, according to Britannica.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 June 2025
The bottle designs for this year’s collection are said to be inspired by a few different animals that are native to Mexico: axolotl, jaguar, monarch butterfly, dwarf jay, Tamaulipas owl, and the Mexican wolf.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 June 2025
The girl is in the Brazilian capital, but the headset transports her to a fictitious Indigenous village in the Atlantic rainforest, where capybaras and jaguars dart across the landscape.
—Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for jaguar
Cite this Entry
“Jaguar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jaguar. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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