kitten

1 of 2

noun

kit·​ten ˈki-tᵊn How to pronounce kitten (audio)
: a young cat
also : an immature or young individual of various other small mammals

kitten

2 of 2

verb

kittened; kittening
ˈkit-niŋ,
ˈki-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce kitten (audio)

intransitive verb

: to give birth to kittens

Examples of kitten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Getting everyone together in the same place is like herding kittens in the vast landscapes that Rockstar Games developers created. Stephen Saito, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The Paddy's Pups: 4-week-old litter mates need foster families Although kitten season is right around the corner, the Arizona Humane Society continues to struggle with dog and puppy space as the shelter sees an unprecedented number of pets needing help in our community. The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 At last count, kittens were known to use nine different forms of vocalization, while adult cats uttered 16. Anthony Ham, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Wand toys are a favorite amongst cats of all ages, and our tester kittens especially loved the Cat Dancer Rainbow Cat Charmer. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 There are also instances where mountain lion attacks might occur because a human inadvertently comes between a female mountain lion and her kittens. Craig Caudill, Field & Stream, 14 Feb. 2024 Posts about the kittens received widespread attention on Facebook. The Enquirer, 14 Feb. 2024 Roughly half of kittens don’t survive their first year, the NPS says. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2024 Last year, 645 animals were surrendered to the shelter through the program, including 441 kittens and 59 puppies. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Local authorities were able to coax the bobcat kitten out of the tree and bring it some comfort. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023 We're just kitten around. Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 10 Mar. 2023 We’re not kitten around here. Laura Hanrahan, Woman's Day, 6 Mar. 2020 There were kitten heels layered over argyle socks and collarless tweed jackets paired with matching mini skirts. Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 Feb. 2023 So many unwanted cats and dogs – kitten and puppies – in our country. Gregg Doyel, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2022 Puppy and kitten sales make up more than 80% of owner Suk’s annual revenue, the lawsuit says. Dallas News, 28 May 2022 Obviously, kitten food differs from adult cat food; even adult cat food may be slightly different for senior cats seven years and older than for a younger adult. Dallas News, 22 Dec. 2022 The convenience of this kitten wet food’s packaging cannot be understated. Dallas News, 13 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kitten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English kitoun, from Anglo-French *kiton, chiton, diminutive of cat, chat cat, from Late Latin cattus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kitten was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near kitten

Cite this Entry

“Kitten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitten. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kitten

noun
kit·​ten
ˈkit-ᵊn
: a young cat
also : a young individual of various other small mammals
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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