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

Sophie Darlington has been filming big African cats since the ‘90s and is still perfecting new ways to tell visually authentic stories of the Animal Kingdom. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

Yockey posts videos of her adventures with Vava on Instagram, from their coffee shop walks to home piano concerts to cuddles with Yockey's cat, Tito. — Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

At this time, there was just one photoshoot finishing up (see balloons video above), and by 5 pm I and the resident cats had the park to ourselves. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

There are so many incredible dogs and cats waiting in shelters for someone to see them, choose them, and give them a home. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 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 litter
• 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