ocelot

noun

oce·​lot ˈä-sə-ˌlät How to pronounce ocelot (audio) ˈō- How to pronounce ocelot (audio)
: a medium-sized American wildcat (Leopardus pardalis synonym Felis pardalis) that ranges from Texas to northern Argentina and has a tawny-yellow or grayish coat dotted and striped with black

Illustration of ocelot

Illustration of ocelot

Examples of ocelot 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.
The region even serves as a habitat for the rare jaguar and ocelot. — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026 Wood drums are often carved with Aztec symbols such as the sun or animals like owls, eagles and ocelots. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2026 Coats of mink, lynx, wolf, sable and ocelot covered the walls of his store, a branch of fashion house Pajaro, one of several high-end fur boutiques in town. — ABC News, 18 Feb. 2026 It is surrounded by turtle-nesting beaches, protected mangrove forests, sand dunes and forest corridors that serve as habitat for jaguars and ocelots. — Natalie Leticia Gallón, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ocelot

Word History

Etymology

French, from Nahuatl ōcēlōtl jaguar

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ocelot was in 1774

Rhymes for ocelot

See All Rhymes for ocelot

Browse Nearby Words

ocellus
ocelot
och
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ocelot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocelot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

ocelot

noun
oce·​lot ˈäs-ə-ˌlät How to pronounce ocelot (audio) ˈō-sə- How to pronounce ocelot (audio)
: a medium-sized American wildcat that is found from Texas to northern Argentina and has a tawny yellow or grayish coat marked with black

More from Merriam-Webster on ocelot

Nglish: Translation of ocelot for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ocelot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All