cats

plural of cat
1
as in kittens
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

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 cats For Naowarat Supanikorn, a 55-year-old maid who shares a single-story house with three dogs and six cats, the flooding was more than an inconvenience. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 While the search for the cats continues, the Red Cross and Salvation Army are helping the family. — Megan Shinn, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 Domestic animals including cats, dogs, cattle, goats and sheep continue to show a decline in positive cases. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026 Both family and colleagues spoke about her generosity, her friendship with every major designer on both sides of the Atlantic, her love of food, cats and fast cars, and a wicked sense of humor and strong tennis game. — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026 My wife had 15 minutes to pack cats and those things that in the moment seemed most important. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 In the county, health officials said infected fleas often are found on rats, free-roaming cats and opossums. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Gabby likes cats, and Doozie (Celestina Harris) is for the dogs. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 Dogs and cats may be triggered by this distinctive smell and show unusual behavior when skunks are nearby, such as sniffing or pawing the dirt around the burrow or becoming more protective by growling or hovering near the entrance. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cats
Noun
  • In 2013, Spagis and her wife, Ivy, moved from Canada to South Los Angeles, where a stray cat and her kittens appeared in their backyard.
    — Meg Dunn, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
  • At Sacramento's Front Street Animal Shelter, the need is especially urgent for kittens.
    — Melissa May, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That study found a rare haplotype — a combination of genes — in the Y chromosomes of males descended from Thomas Jefferson’s uncle.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Females are generally somewhat larger than males and have a pointed, protractable ovipositor (egg-laying organ) at the tip of their abdomens.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • There are store cats everywhere that are hanging around, and the store kitties are very friendly.
    — Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Owners looking to adopt one of these sweet kitties should be prepared to give them their attention, and lots of it.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Noun
  • This is a season so overwhelmingly dull that it’s taken three different gay guys to recap it.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 manga laid the groundwork for some of the genre's most enduring tropes (gender switching, horny old guys, tournaments), and this is the second anime adaptation, this time from Studio MAPPA.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Also, wildlife and nuisance-animal trappers can be hired to humanely trap and relocate the felines.
    — Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Among the creatures depicted in the artwork were birds, fish, felines and figures drawn from mythology.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • This, ladies and gentlemen, is what’s known in the editing bay as foreshadowing.
    — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 28 Aug. 2026
  • That, ladies and gentlemen, is why the stock of Amazon surged Friday and took its hyperscaler peers along for the ride.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Even as Swift shines in the light of holy matrimony, there are still plenty of lame dudes out there for Taylor to crush across three-minute pop masterstrokes — and, God-willing, there always will be.
    — Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
  • These dudes would hang out and ask questions and show us the good spots to eat.
    — Mark Hoppus, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cats. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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