kitten

1 of 2

noun

kit·​ten ˈki-tᵊn 

: a young cat

also : an immature or young individual of various other small mammals

kitten

2 of 2

verb

kittened; kittening

ˈkit-niŋ, 

ˈki-tᵊn-iŋ 

intransitive verb

: to give birth to kittens

Examples of kitten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While on Instagram, notice that there are kittens up for adoption. — Ginny Hogan, New Yorker, 21 July 2026

Summer is usually the busiest season for shelters, officials said, as more stray animals, owner surrenders and vulnerable kittens arrive across the five boroughs. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026

Although the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter primarily cares for dogs, Wenz couldn’t leave behind a mother cat and her eight kittens, which were enduring the same sweltering temperatures. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Just like human babies, kittens gnaw on things to relieve the pressure and discomfort of adult teeth pushing through their gums. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English kitoun, from Anglo-French *kiton, chiton, diminutive of cat, chat cat, from Late Latin cattus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing kitten

• foster dog/cat/puppy/kitten
• kitten heel
• sex kitten

Rhymes for kitten

• bitten
• briton
• chiton
• gittin
• mitten
• smitten
• whitten
• written
• handwritten
• honiton
• rewritten
• typewritten

Kids Definition

kitten

noun

kit·​ten

ˈkit-ᵊn

: a young cat

also : a young individual of various other small mammals