cat
noun
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cat
1 American
[kat]
/ kæt /
noun
cats
plural
-
a small domesticated carnivore, Felis domestica or F. catus, bred in a number of varieties.
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any of several carnivores of the family Felidae, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, etc.
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Older Slang.
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a person, especially a man.
I'll admit that I'm not the hippest cat in town but even I know that show.
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a devotee of jazz.
That cat's got a great ear, but he can't sing or play himself.
-
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a woman given to spiteful or malicious gossip.
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Games.
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Chiefly British. the game of tipcat, or the tapering piece of wood used in the game.
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a catboat.
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a catamaran.
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a catfish.
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Obsolete. the fur of the domestic cat.
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Nautical. a tackle used in hoisting an anchor to the cathead, a projecting timber or metal beam where the anchor is secured.
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a double tripod having six legs but resting on only three no matter how it is set down, usually used before or over a fire.
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Navy Informal. catapult.
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(in medieval warfare) a movable shelter for providing protection when approaching a fortification.
verb (used with object)
cats,
present (3rd person singular)
catted,
past participle, past
catting
present participle
-
to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails.
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Nautical. to hoist (an anchor) and secure to a cathead, a projecting timber or metal beam where the anchor is secured.
verb (used without object)
cats,
present (3rd person singular)
catted,
past participle, past
catting
present participle
verb phrase
idioms
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look like something the cat dragged in, to look tired, unkempt, ugly, etc..
You look like something the cat dragged in—go have a shower and a nap.
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the cat that ate / swallowed / got the canary, someone who is self-satisfied, proud, or pleased.
She won the contest by a hair and walked around like the cat that ate the canary for the rest of the month.
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bell the cat, to attempt something formidable or dangerous.
The question at the moment is who will bell the cat, since nobody on the board is willing to tell the CEO she's fired.
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rain cats and dogs. rain.
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curiosity killed the cat. curiosity.
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cat got your tongue?, (used to ask why someone is not speaking).
You've been awfully quiet—cat got your tongue?
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let the cat out of the bag, to divulge a secret, especially inadvertently or carelessly.
He let the cat out of the bag, and the surprise party wasn't a surprise after all.
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look what the cat dragged in, (used to acknowledge someone's arrival while implying that they look bad or are unwelcome).
Darn it, he's here. Look what the cat dragged in!
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enough to make a cat laugh, very funny, outrageous, or absurd.
Hearing these politicians talk about the lives of everyday people is enough to make a cat laugh.
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fight like cats and dogs. fight.
Cat
2
American
[kat]
/ kæt /
Trademark.
CAT
3
American
-
clear-air turbulence.
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Medicine/Medical. computerized axial tomography.
cat.
4
American
abbreviation
-
catalog; catalogue.
-
catechism.
cat
1
British
/ kæt /
noun
-
Also called: domestic cat. a small domesticated feline mammal, Felis catus (or domesticus ), having thick soft fur and occurring in many breeds in which the colour of the fur varies greatly: kept as a pet or to catch rats and mice
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Also called: big cat. any of the larger felines, such as a lion or tiger
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any wild feline mammal of the genus Felis, such as the lynx or serval, resembling the domestic cat
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old-fashioned a woman who gossips maliciously
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slang a man; guy
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nautical a heavy tackle for hoisting an anchor to the cathead
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a short sharp-ended piece of wood used in the game of tipcat
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short for catboat
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informal short for Caterpillar
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short for cat-o'-nine-tails
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informal a bad-tempered person
she's a real bag of cats this morning
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to fight until both parties are destroyed
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to disclose a secret, often by mistake
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in an uneasy or agitated state
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quarrelling savagely
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to appear dishevelled or bedraggled
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no chance at all
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to have very little space
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to play with a person or animal in a cruel or teasing way, esp before a final act of cruelty or unkindness
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to introduce some violently disturbing new element
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to rain very heavily
verb
-
(tr) to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails
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(tr) nautical to hoist (an anchor) to the cathead
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(intr) a slang word for vomit
cat
2
British
/ kæt /
noun
adjective
CAT
3
British
abbreviation
-
computer-aided teaching
-
computer-assisted trading
cat.
4
British
abbreviation
-
catalogue
-
catamaran
cat
5
British
/ kæt /
noun
cat
More Idioms
Usage
Where does the word cat come from? While cats may be more enigmatic and reclusive than dogs in real life, when it comes to the source of the word cat, it’s a bit easier to grasp. The origin of the word dog is one of the great mysteries of English etymology. Learn why in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."The word cat is recorded in Old English, and hasn't changed much since. (Hey, if it isn’t broken why fix it?) The masculine form was catt, the feminine catte. The word cat is most likely related to the Late Latin cattus, source of some other cat words you may have heard, including the Spanish gato and French chat. Now that you know how cats got their name, why not find out how some of our other most beloved pets got theirs in the slideshow: "Where Do The Words For Our Pets Come From?"
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
catsimple
-
catssimple
-
have cattedperfect
-
has cattedperfect
-
am cattingprogressive
-
are cattingprogressive
-
is cattingprogressive
-
have been cattingperfect progressive
-
has been cattingperfect progressive
Past
-
cattedsimple
-
had cattedperfect
-
was cattingprogressive
-
were cattingprogressive
-
had been cattingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cat
First recorded before 900; Middle English cat, catte, Old English catt (masculine), catte (feminine); cognate with Old Frisian, Middle Dutch katte, Old High German kazza, Old Norse kǫttr; akin to Late Latin cattus, catta (first recorded in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); further origin uncertain
Explanation
What's another name for the four-legged feline that lies around on your keyboard all day and purrs? You might call it “Fluffy,” but it’s also known as a cat. If you’re in the market for a pet cat, just make sure it meows, and doesn’t roar like the lion, tiger, or jaguar, all of which are in the same family as the housecat. Domesticated as long ago as ancient Egyptian times, the cat is a fixture not only in many homes, but also in a host of English expressions — like, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play,” “it’s raining cats and dogs,” and “the cat’s pajamas.”
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:
The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
People sprinkled cat litter, got mats out of their own vehicles to place under the tires.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
He was the cat in a Thompson Directory advert and made a series of spots for the DIY chain B&Q. He later described this aspect of his life as one of the most financially lucrative.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
He showed up a minute later, eyeing the contents of my shopping cart and used the cat food in it as an icebreaker to ask about my cat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
At the foot of one of the trees was a ratatoska, the size of a cat, lying on its side.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
“I accept the responsibility to help carry the torch and move it forward, and hand it off to the Jennie Finches and the Cat Ostermans,” Fernandez said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
This year James Bailey, who has written before on Spark’s early fiction, takes a more fragmentary approach to the author in “Like a Cat Loves a Bird.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Vusimusi "Cat" Matlala's name has haunted the proceedings of South Africa's major inquiry into alleged police corruption and, if things go to plan on Wednesday, the controversial businessman will at last be questioned himself.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
New producer Jimmy Miller helps strip the band down to its rawest, raunchiest essence on songs like “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Stray Cat Blues,” and “Street Fighting Man.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Mom called it a meltdown, but to Cat it was tight and sharp.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
When he told them he had approved asylum and CAT protection, Rodelo says: "They told me they were taking me one way or another."
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Yates was hospitalized multiple times and underwent CAT scans and MRIs, her husband said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
He ordered a barrage of tests — according to Partridge she had two MRIs, two EEGs, a SPECT, a CAT scan and a spinal tap, as well as more than a dozen different antibody tests.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
Instead, Gray’s project plans to make its own electricity—by purchasing more than 700 natural-gas-fueled generators from Caterpillar CAT -0.75%decrease; red down pointing triangle .
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025
A growth on her adrenal gland had turned up on a Bellevue CAT scan, prompting a visit to an endocrinologist.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
“If you’re curious about it, be a curious cat. Go find out. There’s a lot of ways to get into this industry. There is always going to be work.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
“Ordinary life, ordinary gym, a cat. Ordinary job at an unremarkable office,” the lawyer wrote.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
"It's a cat. You don't eat a cat," he added.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2023
“With everyone else, if you say the costume is a cat, it’s a cat. But he would make a costume of what cats make you feel like.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
“Having a son is really quite a nuisance. And now, on top of everything, he’s also missing. I went home last night to get my cat. Luckily, nobody saw me.”
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
Frosted Faces said it placed nearly 800 animals last year, including some cats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Five young Pallas's cats, dubbed the world's grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
I said I had five cats, which was true if you included the semi-feral ones who show up every day for their third or fourth meal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
They had to leave two of their cats and four chickens behind as they could not be found in the flurry to leave.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Alexander and Beowulf each blacked an eye with candle soot, for they knew Boris and Constantin fought like two cats in a bag, as the saying goes, and often sported such bruises.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Last week, he was catted by the Association of German Friends of Cats, and by Herr Victor Fraenkl, chairman of the German League for Animal Rights, one of the Association's principal spokesmen.
From Time Magazine Archive
With the Proserpine it was different Her capstan-bars flew round, and one anchor was actually catted by the time her captain appeared on deck.
From The Wing-and-Wing Le Feu-Follet by Cooper, James Fenimore
In about half an hour, which was near high water, the order was given to man the windlass, and again the anchor was catted; but not a word was said about the last time.
From Two Years Before the Mast by Dana, Richard Henry
“That’s well, let us have it up, and get it catted at once, if you please.”
From Under the Meteor Flag Log of a Midshipman during the French Revolutionary War by Collingwood, Harry
It was light now, and in a very few minutes the canvas was spread and the anchor catted.
From At Aboukir and Acre A Story of Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
He was a Viet Nam Vet who had been "catting" on the city streets for years.
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2016
The lads up front have got their sprint on at the top and after some catting and mousing they finish the San Mauro Cilento in the following order: Wauters, Boaro and Taborre.
From The Guardian ● May 6, 2013
We’ve been laying our voices down, catting and scatting, and following variations of the same notes for so long we didn’t always know we were doing it.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
To Denbigh's satisfaction Armstrong had been sent for'ard to superintend the weighing and catting on the anchor.
From Rounding up the Raider A Naval Story of the Great War by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
They were heave-ho-ing, stopping and unstopping, pawling, catting, and fishing, for three hours; and the sails hung from the yards all the afternoon, and were not furled until sundown.
From Two Years Before the Mast by Dana, Richard Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
