kennel

¹ American  

[ken-l] / ˈkɛn l /

noun

1. a house or shelter for a dog or a cat.

2. Often kennels an establishment where dogs or cats are bred, raised, trained, or boarded.

3. the hole or lair of an animal, especially a fox.

4. a wretched abode likened to a doghouse.

5. Rare. a pack of dogs, especially hunting dogs.

   He inherited his love of quail hunting from his father who'd gifted him a kennel of pointers.

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verb (used with object)

kenneled, kenneling, kennelled, kennelling

1. to put into or keep in a kennel.

   to kennel a dog for a week.

verb (used without object)

kenneled, kenneling, kennelled, kennelling

1. to take shelter or lodge in a kennel.

kennel ² American  

[ken-l] / ˈkɛn l /

noun

1. an open drain or sewer; gutter.

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kennel ¹ British  

/ ˈkɛnəl /

noun

1. US name: doghouse.  a hutlike shelter for a dog

2. (usually plural) an establishment where dogs are bred, trained, boarded, etc

3. the lair of a fox or other animal

4. a ramshackle house; hovel

5. a pack of hounds

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verb

1. to put or go into a kennel; keep or stay in a kennel

kennel ² British  

/ ˈkɛnəl /

noun

1. archaic an open sewer or street gutter

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Etymology

Origin of kennel¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English kenel, from unattested Anglo-French kenil ( French chenil) from unattested Vulgar Latin canīle ( Latin can(is) “dog” + -īle suffix of place)

Origin of kennel²

First recorded in 1575–85; variant of earlier cannel, Middle English canel channel ¹

Explanation

A kennel is a structure or business that houses animals, particularly dogs and cats. You might leave your dog at a kennel while you go on vacation. You might have a small kennel for your dog in your backyard, or have your pet groomed or boarded at a professional kennel. Some kennels are kept for breeding animals — when you buy a puppy from a breeder, you might pick him up at a kennel. The word kennel, by way of the Anglo-French kenil, and the Vulgar Latin canile, has its roots in the Latin canis, or "dog."

Example Sentences

Rob Holder, general manager at Clumber Park, said while the origins of the Clumber spaniel were not clear, they may have come from a kennel of prized spaniels gifted to the 2nd Duke.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

It was unclear why the card on the outside of Valerio’s kennel, which notes behavior problems for staffers and volunteers, didn’t include his bite history, Wright’s attorneys said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

What was this big box in the room near his kennel and soft warm pallet?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

The team also compared how kennel clubs describe the behaviors of breeds with the highest and lowest wolf ancestry.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

I don’t ask Claire why he hasn’t been moved into a kennel, because I don’t want him to leave.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Related Words

• enclosure