cheetah

IPA/ˈtʃiːtə/
KK[tʃˈitə]IPA/ˈtʃiːtə/

cheetah — noun

  • cheetahsingular
  • cheetahsplural

1. a large slender wild cat with a yellowish coat covered in black spots, found mai

1.nounB1
Definition

a large slender wild cat with a yellowish coat covered in black spots, found mainly in Africa and parts of Iran, known as the fastest land animal over short distances

Example

A cheetah can reach a speed of over one hundred kilometres per hour in just a few seconds.

superlative: fastest land animal; speed collocation

Tourists on safari watched a cheetah chase a young gazelle across the dry grassland.

safari context: watch a cheetah + prey animal

Common collocations
  • cheetah cub
  • cheetah's speed
  • cheetah population
  • cheetah habitat
  • cheetah conservation
  • watch a cheetah
  • see a cheetah
  • photograph a cheetah
  • fast as a cheetah
Synonyms
  • leopard

    similar spotted cat but with rosette-shaped spots, stronger build, and able to climb trees; found across Africa and Asia

  • jaguar

    larger spotted cat found in Central and South America, with rosette spots that have a dot inside; more heavily built than a cheetah

Grammar Patterns

cheetah + verb

Usage Note

Plural: cheetahs. Often used before another noun (cheetah cub, cheetah population, cheetah habitat). The scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus, sometimes used in zoology texts.

Common Mistakes

The leopard is the fastest land animal.
The cheetah is the fastest land animal.
leopards have rosette-shaped spots and climb trees; cheetahs have solid black spots and are much faster runners.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cheetah, leopard, and jaguar are all large spotted wild cats, but they differ in body shape, spot pattern, and behaviour. The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has a slender frame, solid black round spots, and is built for speed — it is the fastest land animal. The leopard (Panthera pardus) is stockier, has rosette-shaped spots (dark rings around a lighter centre), and is a powerful climber that often drags prey into trees. The jaguar (Panthera onca), found in the Americas, is the largest of the three, with rosette spots that contain a small central dot, and it has a very strong bite. Learners often use 'leopard' or 'jaguar' when they mean 'cheetah'. For example: 'A cheetah chased an antelope across the open plain' (correct — cheetahs hunt in open spaces). 'A leopard dropped its kill from a tree branch' (correct — leopards store food in trees).

leopard ↗jaguar ↗cheetah ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • as fast as a cheetah
  • cheetah in the wild
  • cheetah on the run

Prepositions

  • of a cheetah
  • like a cheetah

Etymology

SanskritHindiEnglish

The word 'cheetah' comes from the Hindi word 'cītā' (चीता), which itself traces back to the Sanskrit 'citra' (चित्र), meaning 'bright, colourful, or spotted' — a reference to the animal's distinctive black spots on a yellowish coat. English borrowed the term during the 18th century through British colonial contact with India.

First known use

1563

1563, in the meaning defined above