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

Eligible puppies and kittens must be less than 12 months old, or 24 months for larger breed pups. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 6 July 2026

Stray pets taken in by the nonprofit since July 4 of this year include 54 dogs, 11 cats, eight puppies, 23 kittens and one reptile. — Madeleine Kashkooli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026

Every wedding, every cherry blossom season in Japan, every birth, reactor accidents too, swarms of insects, kittens playing with woolen balls, people disfigured by war, palm trees at sunset—five billion photos a day. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

My sister would stay behind, with the kitten, in a hotel room that had been offered to her for free. — Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 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