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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
CatVideoFest 2025 has clawed past the $1 million mark, an achievement for the franchise launched in 2016 by filmmaker Will Braden, who apparently does a darn good job curating the best cat videos from across global social media. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025 The men informed the fire station crew that a stray cat recently gave birth to five kittens in their garage, and one of the kittens had become stuck in the wheel. Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025 An extra-large cat carrier designed for two cats is currently on sale ahead of Amazon's October Prime Big Deal Days. Christine Persaud, USA Today, 27 Sep. 2025 Workslop, much like Shrimp Jesus or those big-eyed crying cats clogging your social feeds, has a patina of human craftsmanship. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cat

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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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