snow leopard

noun

: a large cat (Panthera uncia synonym Uncia uncia) of upland central Asia with long heavy grayish-white fur irregularly marked with brownish-black spots, rosettes, and rings

Illustration of snow leopard

Illustration of snow leopard

Examples of snow leopard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Those looking for nostalgia will cheer the return of the fierce snow leopard Tai Lung from the first film, with Ian McShane again providing his elegant baritone. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Chapter 1 spanned nearly thirteen years, mostly in the zoo—first in the Temperate Territory near the snow leopards and red pandas, and later opposite the loud chiming of the Delacorte Clock. Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The company even has a wild side, having played a major role in the 2019 delivery of Meru, a 1-year-old snow leopard, from the Los Angeles Zoo to the Louisville Zoo on a massive Boeing 767. Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2024 Zookeepers hope Choto will breed with the zoo's 9-year-old female snow leopard, Orya. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 The man who faces charges stemming from a string of suspicious activities at the Dallas Zoo allegedly admitted to stealing two tamarin monkeys and trying to steal the clouded snow leopard last month, according to arrest warrant affidavits. Ashley Killough, CNN, 8 Feb. 2023 In a second paper, published in the same journal this week, a different group of researchers demonstrated similar capabilities with both wild and captive Alaskan polar bears and Swedish Eurasian lynx, as well as a captive snow leopard. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2023 The image featured a rare and elusive snow leopard on a snowy mountain in the Indian Himalayas, looking out at the colorful sky. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 3 Dec. 2023 In ten years, all the snow leopards and polar bears might be gone. Jessica Francis Kane, Harper's Magazine, 20 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snow leopard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snow leopard was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near snow leopard

Cite this Entry

“Snow leopard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snow%20leopard. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

snow leopard

noun
: a large cat of central Asia with long heavy grayish white fur marked with brownish black spots and rings

More from Merriam-Webster on snow leopard

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