cat

noun

ˈkat How to pronounce cat (audio)
Definition of catnext
1
as in kitten
a small domestic animal known for catching mice the family's cat did an exemplary job of keeping the house and yard free of all rodents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in male
an adult male human being he was one cool cat driving around in his new sports car

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cat The parasite, which can also be spread through cat feces, has increasingly been linked to undercooked pork. — Angela Haupt, Time, 23 July 2026 Symptoms include coughing, rapid breathing, lethargy, and reluctance to exercise; open-mouth breathing in cats is an emergency. — Jen Reeder, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 Newell’s shearwaters spend most of their lives over the Pacific Ocean but return to Hawaii to breed, where artificial lights, collisions with power lines, and introduced predators such as domestic cats threaten already vulnerable populations. — Nathan W. Cooper, The Conversation, 23 July 2026 So, yes, there’s a reason why most people are right handed and no, not all cats hate water and that’s okay. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat
  1. kitten
  2. male
  3. kitty
  4. guy
  5. feline
  6. gentleman
  7. dude
Noun
  • 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
Definition of kitten
Noun
  • Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has recently announced that active duty male military personnel over age 30 will be screened annually for testosterone levels.
    — Nina Shapiro, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026
  • The case remained unsolved until evidence was reexamined in 2010, when investigators identified an unknown male’s DNA profile, but no match was found on the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), per the outlets.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of male
Noun
  • Loan pools like the Chinese hui, the Japanese tanomoshi and the Korean kye involve groups of investors who pay into a kitty that is then doled out on a rotating basis.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Leap across rooftops and squeeze through pipes, all to become the ultimate good kitty.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026
Definition of kitty
Noun
  • How vital was Davey to what you guys were able to do in the ’80s?
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Analyzing voter registrations and filing challenges has become a common move by conservative activists (like the guy who created ELLY) after the 2020 election.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of guy
Noun
  • These members of the order of Carnivora, which includes bears, wolves, felines, seals, and many other mammals that specialize in eating flesh, have found a way to reorganize themselves to take full advantage of all that city life has to offer.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Photos from the post show the cat, a fuzzy orange-and-cream feline, on what appears to be a remote part of the bridge, huddled in toward itself while peering up at the camera.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Definition of feline
Noun
  • This gentleman, for whatever want, is completely free to decide to avoid the media.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Most notable was his thin satin-like scarf whipped eccentrically over one shoulder, like a Milanese gentleman oozing sprezzatura, further cementing himself as one of the most glamorous soccer players of our time.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of gentleman
Noun
  • Watching shoot-first combo guards go off for 30 in a summer-league game is great fun, but most of those dudes don’t get to play with a neon-green light in a game that matters.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • There’s a lot of dudes out here that would sell their soul for an uncomplicated yet complicated jam just like that.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
Definition of dude

Phrases Containing cat

Browse Nearby Words

casuistic
cat
cat's cradle
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cat

Nglish: Translation of cat for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All