jungle cat

noun

: a small grayish to tawny cat (Felis chaus) found from northern Africa to Asia and having a black-tipped tail and tufted ears
broadly : a wild cat (such as a leopard) of tropical regions

Examples of jungle cat 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.
Besides tigers, there are many other cats in Ranthambore such as the extremely rare melanistic jungle cat, leopards, the desert cat, and caracals. Jasreen Mayal Khanna, Robb Report, 17 May 2024 That — along with stylish mullets, mistreating jungle cats, inept murder-for-hire plots, and of course, meth — is his weakness. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024 The Pineapple Suite’s weathered driftwood, woven rattan, and textured metal come from the Cypress Point collection, and the Paradise Suite features palm trees, graceful jungle cats, and natural wood finishes. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2023 This area – spanning parts of modern-day Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran and more – is home to numerous small cats, including the caracal, serval, jungle cat and sand cat. Jonathan Losos, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2023 The finale — where Gene worked with Janice’s interrogator father Jim (Robert Wisdom) to get Barry arrested, while Barry’s usually happy-go-lucky Chechen contact NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) was threatened by a jungle cat while handcuffed to a radiator — was a masterpiece. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2023 The croplands surrounding the village were also home to jungle cats—small felines that often stole domestic chickens—as well as jackals and foxes. Vidya Athreya, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2023 He was called El Tigrillo — the jungle cat. San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2022 The survey yielded 15 species of mammals—including the northern plains langur, honey-badger, Indian fox, jungle cat, and ruddy mongoose—with the largest number of species recorded in the Faridabad Aravallis, followed by the Gurugram Aravallis, Mangar Bani, and Asola Bhatti WLS. Neha Jain, Quartz, 16 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jungle cat was in 1877

Dictionary Entries Near jungle cat

Cite this Entry

“Jungle cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jungle%20cat. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!