big cat
big cat — noun
1. any very large wild feline, including lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars — pow
any very large wild feline, including lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars — powerful hunters that live in the wild and belong to a group separate from smaller wild cats and domestic pets.
In Kenya, Caleb and Nkechi watched a pride of big cats resting under an acacia tree.
count noun with collective noun: a pride of big cats
The zoo's new enclosure lets visitors watch the big cats from a safe distance.
Wildlife rangers track the movements of big cats using camera traps placed along forest paths.
collocation: track the movements of big cats
Most big cats can roar, but the cheetah and the snow leopard cannot.
The term 'big cat' usually refers to lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars.
metalinguistic use: 'the term big cat refers to...'
- pride of big cats
- track big cats
- protect big cats
- big cat species
- big cat conservation
- the term big cat
- large felid
scientific or formal term; 'felid' is rare in everyday speech
- wild cat
broader term that includes smaller wild species such as lynx and bobcats
Grammar Patterns
usually used in the plural: big cats
Usage Note
Usually used in the plural (big cats) when referring to the group. In everyday speech, the label 'big cat' may also include other large wild felids such as snow leopards, though biologists sometimes restrict it to the four species that can roar.