kennel
1 Americannoun
-
a house or shelter for a dog or a cat.
-
Often kennels an establishment where dogs or cats are bred, raised, trained, or boarded.
-
the hole or lair of an animal, especially a fox.
-
a wretched abode likened to a doghouse.
-
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.
verb (used with object)
-
kennels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
kenneled,
past participle, past
-
kennelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
kenneling,
present participle
-
kennelling
present participle (especially British)
verb (used without object)
-
kennels,
present (3rd person singular)
-
kenneled,
past participle, past
-
kennelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
kenneling,
present participle
-
kennelling
present participle (especially British)
noun
noun
-
US name: doghouse. a hutlike shelter for a dog
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(usually plural) an establishment where dogs are bred, trained, boarded, etc
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the lair of a fox or other animal
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a ramshackle house; hovel
-
a pack of hounds
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
kennelsimple
-
kennelssimple
-
have kenneledperfect
-
have kennelledperfect
-
has kenneledperfect
-
has kennelledperfect
-
am kennelingprogressive
-
am kennellingprogressive
-
are kennelingprogressive
-
are kennellingprogressive
-
is kennelingprogressive
-
is kennellingprogressive
-
have been kennelingperfect progressive
-
have been kennellingperfect progressive
-
has been kennelingperfect progressive
-
has been kennellingperfect progressive
Past
-
kenneledsimple
-
kennelledsimple
-
had kenneledperfect
-
had kennelledperfect
-
was kennelingprogressive
-
was kennellingprogressive
-
were kennelingprogressive
-
were kennellingprogressive
-
had been kennelingperfect progressive
-
had been kennellingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing kennel
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
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The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
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A Boy Called Bat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"My wife and son have evacuated, but I'm staying because I want to be able to help my brother-in-law, who runs a kennel with 60 dogs, if they need to be evacuated," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Videos posted online showed one dog, Cash, trembling in his kennel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
When I sent a picture of the economy-pod setup, more than a few friends said it looked like a dog kennel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The week before we visited, one dog had even managed to break out of its kennel into one next door.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
There was a large male around the kennel for a week or so.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Evidence from his son's cell phone indicated, however, that Murdaugh was the only person with his wife and son at the estate's dog kennels several minutes before they were killed.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Jennifer Naitaki, a Michaelson Center for Public Policy senior advisor, said the group’s workers keep notes on how the dogs behave outside their kennels, which helps match shelter dogs with appropriate new homes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Sri Lanka's police kennels department was mobilised to ensure that local street dogs did not attack Aloka, who was led on a leash held by an army commando.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
The kennels take on seized or abandoned animals that police are unable to house themselves.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
The prince hadn’t come to dinner, nor was he in the kennels with the bitch and her pups.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Rodriguez, the department’s deputy director, said Tundra could not be kenneled with other dogs and the shelter was full, so he was euthanized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
By selling out Shiv, as he always does, and exploiting Kendall's insecurity that he's "not Logan," Roman has kenneled his siblings while securing a new dom in the White House.
From Salon ● May 20, 2023
The prison authorities let them keep the dog kenneled in their cell as part of a program in which they train the animal for later use as a service dogs for disabled people.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 31, 2018
“He’s not getting the treatment he needs. He’s being kenneled like an animal.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2014
The gods kenneled like dogs, crouched down in the enclosures.
From The Astronomy of the Bible An Elementary Commentary on the Astronomical References of Holy Scripture by E. Walter (Edward Walter) Maunder
After 40 years in captivity they kept their spirits up by caring for a dog kennelled in their cell which they trained to work with vulnerable individuals.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2019
Hearing, the kennelled hound Some neighbourhood and comfort found, And slept beneath the comfortless high stars.
From Poems New and Old by John Freeman
The dogs—twelve in number—were got on board and duly kennelled, and the old trapper was installed as whipper-in.
From Wild Adventures round the Pole The Cruise of the "Snowbird" Crew in the "Arrandoon" by Gordon Stables
I omitted to mention in the proper place to accustom your pups to the same food as when kennelled they will get.
From The Dog by Dinks
He teases into growling the kennelled thunder, and laughs at the shaking of its fiery chain.
From Shelley; an essay by Francis Thompson
He envisions having informational screenings playing in the waiting room, building on awareness programs the community is already doing on best practices like leashing and kenneling to keep pets from harm.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2021
The author takes up the origin and history of the breed, its development, breeding, kenneling, and training.
From Taxidermy by Leon Luther Pray
His book discusses types, methods of training, kenneling, diseases and all the other practical points relating to the use and care of the hound.
From Reading the Weather by Thomas Morris Longstreth
It was a snug, well-protected kenneling place, surrounded by the swamp.
From Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin
I have reliable word that he is kenneling in Squannaconk and doing much damage.
From Boys' Book of Frontier Fighters by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin
The council said they had been told by their kennelling contractor that the dogs were "a German Shepherd type".
From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2026
"We have police struggling to enforce and respond to dog incidents, huge delays getting to court costing hundreds of thousands in kennelling and police costs," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025
In a statement, South Wales Police said seized dogs are "transported to secure kennelling sites" where specially trained officers will assess the dog.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2025
Courts can order that police be repaid for costs caused by kennelling dogs seized in connection with a hare coursing-related offence.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2022
The kennelling for the poor animals was got up under the supervision of Ap and Seth himself.
From Wild Adventures round the Pole The Cruise of the "Snowbird" Crew in the "Arrandoon" by Gordon Stables
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