Meaning & use
snow leopard
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A large wild cat with pale gray fur and dark spots that lives in the mountains of central Asia.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a snow leopard' or 'snow leopards' for more than one.
Patterns
- a snow leopard
- snow leopards
- the snow leopard
The snow leopard is adapted to cold, rocky places at high altitude.
We saw snow leopards at the wildlife park, but they were resting far away.
Snow leopards are endangered because their mountain habitat is shrinking.
Word forms
| plural | snow leopards |
|---|
Common combinations
- snow leopard habitat
- Snow leopard habitat is often remote and difficult to study.
- snow leopard population
- The snow leopard population has fallen in some areas.
- snow leopard cub
- A snow leopard cub stays with its mother for about two years.
- endangered snow leopard
- The endangered snow leopard is protected by law in many countries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ounce
- An older name for the snow leopard; it is rare in everyday English and mostly used in older books.
- big cat
- A general term for large wild cats such as lions, tigers and snow leopards; it is not specific.
Commonly confused: snow leopard or leopard? snow leopard or snow leopard?
snow leopard vs leopard
A leopard is a different big cat with a spotted coat that lives in warmer parts of Africa and Asia; the snow leopard is a separate mountain species.
snow leopard vs snow leopard
Do not confuse 'snow leopard' with 'snow leopard' as a brand or product name; the animal meaning is the common one.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snow leopard' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The snow leopard is a mountain cat from central Asia, so option 2 fits. Option 0 is wrong because snow leopards do not live in deserts near the pyramids; option 1 is wrong because they are wild, not pets; option 3 is wrong because it is a mammal, not a bird.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snow leopard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.