cougar
n. countablen. a large wild cat from the Americas, also known as a puma or mountain lion. In informal speech, it can mean an older woman dating a much younger man.
n. a large American wild cat (Puma concolor), also called a puma or mountain lion. In informal register, it refers to an older woman who dates significantly younger men.
We saw a cougar in the mountains.
The documentary showed a cougar hunting deer in the dense forest.
The politician's new girlfriend was dismissed by critics as merely a cougar seeking media attention.
From French couguar, from Portuguese cuguardo, a deformation of Brazilian Portuguese suçuarana (earlier çuçuarana), from Old Tupi sûasuarana.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 4, 2026