cat

1 of 5

noun

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 himJack 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
b
5
6
7
: a malicious woman
especially : one given to making catty remarks about other women

cat

2 of 5

verb

catted; catting

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

3 of 5

abbreviation (1)

1
catalog
2
catalyst

Cat

4 of 5

trademark

used for a Caterpillar tractor

CAT

5 of 5

abbreviation (2)

1
clean-air turbulence
2
computerized axial tomography

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
Wildlife biologist Kevin Brennan, now in private consulting but previously having worked for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, recalled two cases where darts shot at cats were fatal. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024 Bertinelli paired the kind words with a photo of her daughter-in-law smiling and cuddling with three cats. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 The first photo featured her two cats, insinuating that they may have been injured or had perished in the fire, but a follow-up Story revealed that Delevingne's pets are safe and alive. Jessica Wang, EW.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Another resident said her cats became sick, seemingly from the odor. Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 The principal at the girl’s middle school received multiple anonymous calls saying the girl had strangled cats and harmed herself, according to a police report obtained by The Post. Chris Dehghanpoor, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 But the wild cats are certainly around in numbers, stalking prey, performing mating rituals and staking out precious territory with startling ferocity. John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 That remained as remote as the rules of Monopoly are to the cat who dozes on the Monopoly board. Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 According to the library's website, Worcester librarians will accept a photo or drawing of a pet cat, a friend's cat, a famous cat, a shelter cat, or literally any furry friend. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cat knew how to draw out the best in his son athletically and emotionally. Joseph Goodman, AL.com, 17 June 2017 Cat Mountain Tr., 1400 block: Theft of property ($100-$750). Mitch Mitchell, star-telegram.com, 16 June 2017 Cat prowled beneath the shelf, but had no way to reach my little fish. Elisabeth Egan, chicagotribune.com, 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, 8 June 2017 Go to Cat Tuong in Kastanienallee for wow-factor vegan/vegetarian Vietnamese dishes— Alexandra Pereira, Condé Nast Traveler, 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, 13 Nov. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cat.' 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, 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cat

Cite this Entry

“Cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

Medical Definition

cat

1 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on cat

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