cat

noun, often attributive \ ˈkat \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

1 a : 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)

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

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

4 a : catboat

b : catamaran

5 : cat-o'-nine-tails

6 : catfish 1

7 a : a player or devotee of jazz

b : guy

some young … cat asked me to go drinking with him
—Jack Kerouac

See cat defined for English-language learners

See cat defined for kids

Examples of cat in a Sentence

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 of cat from the Web

This unusual behavior has drawn visitors to the park eager to watch big cat acrobatics.

— alexander braczkowski, National Geographic, "8 Lion Cubs Killed in Suspected Poison Attack," 13 Apr. 2018
Other ways to help out are to volunteer, foster for animals, or even assist with the Baltimore Community Cat Program, which helps trap free-roaming cats to spay, neuter and vaccinate them.

— brittany britto, baltimoresun.com, "25 ways to make Baltimore better: Suggestions from Aaron Maybin, Leana Wen and more," 13 Apr. 2018
Veterans ends CeCe Jefferson, Jabari Zuniga and Jachai Polite should thrive, while cat-quick Antonneous Clayton is poised to finally reach his potential.

— edgar thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UF starting QB battle among top five questions Gators face entering spring game," 13 Apr. 2018
My rescue pets are black cat Nibblet and Juno, a tuxedo Munchkin.

— special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Stray kittens find happy home in Akron: Send us your pet rescue stories," 12 Apr. 2018
Crappie slow everywhere, including around docks and marinas; blue cats fair to good on the north end using cut shad; all other species slow or no reports.

— tyler mahoney special to the star tyler mahoney,, kansascity, "Fishing report: Things have been slow because of weather | The Kansas City Star," 11 Apr. 2018
The Spatolas raised four children and tended numerous dogs, cats and horses at Orvilla Farm, their home in Lyndell.

— bonnie l. cook, Philly.com, "Robert A. Spatola Sr., 83, wine-company executive, tree farmer, friend of the handicapped," 10 Apr. 2018
Not a single animal on this planet has a better life than those cats.

— victoria rodriguez, Seventeen, "Here's Everything You Need to Know About Lexi Wood, Brooklyn Beckham's New Boo," 9 Apr. 2018
The couple’s three pet cats died in the fire, and dozens of residents were forced to move out of the building, which was damaged by flames, smoke and water.

— paula mcmahon, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Condo resident charged with arson in fire that caused about $4M worth of damage, killed three cats," 9 Apr. 2018

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.