cat

1 of 5

noun

ˈkat 

often attributive

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

: 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

4

a

: 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

2 of 5

verb

catted; catting

intransitive verb

informal : to search for a sexual mate

—often used with around

transitive verb

: to bring (an anchor) up to the cathead

cat

3 of 5

abbreviation (1)

1

catalog

2

catalyst

Cat

4 of 5

trademark

ˈkat 

—used for a Caterpillar tractor

CAT

5 of 5

abbreviation (2)

1

clear-air turbulence

2

computerized axial tomography

Synonyms of cat

Noun

• kitten
• kitty
• feline

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

Physicists call such conditions Schrödinger cat states, named after Erwin Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026

Don't let those enticing vines dangle too low, since many cats can jump 6 feet off the ground. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026

Save a Stray Rescue currently has six kittens from the home, and North Fork Country Kids Animal Rescue took 11 cats, which volunteers are fostering. —Jenna Deangelis, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

That inspo pic of the cat-eye gel with the cutest rhinestones? —Olivia Cefalu, InStyle, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English catt, probably from Late Latin cattus, catta cat

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1681, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing cat

• alley cat
• Angora cat
• bell the cat
• big cat
• cat-a-mountain
• cat and mouse
• cat burglar
• cat distemper
• cat got your tongue
• cat-o'-nine-tails
• cat rig
• cat's cradle
• cat scratch disease
• cat's-eye
• cat's meow
• cat's-paw
• Cheshire cat
• civet cat
• dead-cat bounce
• false saber-tooth cat
• false saber-toothed cat
• fat cat
• feel/look like something the cat brought/dragged/drug in
• fight like cat and dog
• fisher cat
• foster dog/cat/puppy/kitten
• fraidy-cat
• house cat
• jungle cat
• leopard cat
• let the cat out of the bag
• like the cat that ate/got/swallowed the canary
• like the cat that got the cream
• longhaired cat
• look what the cat dragged in
• Manx cat
• Persian cat
• play (a game of) cat and mouse
• saber-tooth cat
• saber-toothed cat
• scaredy-cat
• Siamese cat
• spoonbill cat
• (the) cat has someone's tongue
• the cat's meow
• the cat's pajamas
• the cat's whiskers
• tiger cat

Rhymes for cat

• at
• bat
• batt
• brat
• chat
• fat
• flat
• gat
• gnat
• hat
• kat
• mat

Kids Definition

cat

noun

ˈkat

1

a

: a small domestic meat-eating mammal kept by people as a pet or for catching rats and mice

b

: an animal (as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah) that belongs to the same family as the domestic cat

2

: man entry 1 sense 1a, fellow

Medical Definition

cat

1 of 2 noun

ˈkat 

often attributive

1

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

2

: any of a family (Felidae) of mammals including the domestic cat, lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah

CAT

2 of 2 abbreviation

computed axial tomography; computerized axial tomography