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

In less than two months, a different camera stationed not far from the southern end of the crossing picked up a plethora of critters, including a mountain lion with two older kittens and another uncollared lion. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

And last year, two littermate kittens were hit a few hundred feet apart on a busy street surrounded by Naples subdivisions. — Max Chesnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Deductible and reimbursement choices also narrow as enrollment age rises, which makes Healthy Paws a much better deal for puppies and kittens than for middle-aged pets. — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

What readers are saying The comments express outrage and sadness over the cruelty inflicted on kittens, with many calling for harsher penalties for animal abuse. — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 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