Any large feline animal, especially one of the Panthera genus, including tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards.
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see big, cat.
A distinctive member (Acinonyx jubatus) of the cat family, slightly smaller than the leopard, but with proportionately longer limbs and a smaller head; native to Africa and southeast Asia (where it is nearly extinct) and also credited with being the fastest terrestrial animal.