cat

noun, often attributive

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\ ˈkat

Definition of cat

(Entry 1 of 5)

1a : a carnivorous mammal (Felis catus) long domesticated as a pet and for catching rats and mice

b : any of a family (Felidae) of carnivorous usually solitary and nocturnal mammals (such as the domestic cat, lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah)

2a : guy some young … cat asked me to go drinking with him— Jack Kerouac

b : a player or devotee of jazz

3 : a strong tackle used to hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship

4a : catboat

b : catamaran

5 : cat-o'-nine-tails

6 : catfish sense 1

7 : a malicious woman especially : one given to making catty remarks about other women

cat

verb

catted; catting

Definition of cat (Entry 2 of 5)

intransitive verb

usually vulgar : to search for a sexual mate —often used with around

transitive verb

: to bring (an anchor) up to the cathead

cat

abbreviation (1)

Definition of cat (Entry 3 of 5)

1 catalog

2 catalyst

Cat

trademark

\ ˈkat

Definition of Cat (Entry 4 of 5)

—used for a Caterpillar tractor

CAT

abbreviation (2)

Definition of CAT (Entry 5 of 5)

1 clean-air turbulence

2 computerized axial tomography

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about cat

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Synonyms for cat

Synonyms: Noun

feline,
house cat,
kitty,
moggy
(also moggie)
[British],
puss,
pussy,
pussycat

Examples of cat in a Sentence

Noun I have two dogs and a cat. the family's cat did an exemplary job of keeping the house and yard free of all rodents

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Then the two volunteers drove the treacherous icy roads back to Minnesota, shuttling 69 dogs, two guinea pigs and one cat who were immediately placed in foster homes. — Kelly Smith, Star Tribune, "Minnesota organizations boost aid for Texans in aftermath of winter storm," 19 Feb. 2021 Demetri Martin's best bit was a series of comedic charts, like one that graphed how cute a girl was against how likely Martin would be to listen to her cat stories. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Did memestonks destroy Robinhood’s IPO chances?," 19 Feb. 2021 At least Woodward didn’t show up with a cat filter over his face, which appears to be all the rage these days. — Evan Grant, Dallas News, "In a spring training unlike any other, Rangers are preaching flexibility, patience," 17 Feb. 2021 And fortunately for us, there are pictures (and product links) of this incredibly cute and stylish cat nook. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "This Cat Has Her Own Farmhouse-Style Bedroom," 16 Feb. 2021 Lawyer of the week is hands-down the cat-filter attorney. — Steven Levy, Wired, "A New Company Pursues Total Recall—Starting With Zoom," 12 Feb. 2021 Earlier this week, Dunham had to apologize for using real cat corpses in a biology-class scene. — Zoe Haylock, Vulture, "Genera+ion Trailer: Teens Remain an Enigma for HBO Max," 11 Feb. 2021 The declaration was necessary because Ponton was appearing on the virtual hearing through a cat filter. — San Antonio Express-News, "Express Briefing: Some Texans arrested at Capitol riot blame Trump," 10 Feb. 2021 Your great-aunt Sandy, in the Bronx, who has a second bedroom, enough cat dander to coat both your lungs, and every issue of Time from 1968 onward. — Ali Solomon, The New Yorker, "Apartment Optical Illusions," 8 Feb. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Cat knew how to draw out the best in his son athletically and emotionally. — Joseph Goodman, AL.com, "On Willie Mays, his father and the final childhood summer of the Say Hey Kid," 17 June 2017 Cat Mountain Tr., 1400 block: Theft of property ($100-$750). — Mitch Mitchell, star-telegram.com, "Police report: Suspect in Denton murder back in Texas," 16 June 2017 Cat prowled beneath the shelf, but had no way to reach my little fish. — Elisabeth Egan, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award finalist: "Water like air" by Rebecca Wurtz," 10 June 2017 Q. How worried should cat owners be about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, especially with babies in the house? — Karen Weintraub, New York Times, "How Worried Should Cat Owners Be About Toxoplasmosis?," 8 June 2017 Go to Cat Tuong in Kastanienallee for wow-factor vegan/vegetarian Vietnamese dishes— — Alexandra Pereira, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Enjoy Berlin's Nightlife Like a Local," 8 May 2017 Today, the government is trying hard to eliminate cats from the landscape and is even involved in the invention of new cat poisons and gory things, which are upsetting to cat lovers. — Martin Mejia, National Geographic, "How Cats Clawed Their Way Into Our Hearts," 13 Nov. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.