cat
noun
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cat
1 American
[kat]
/ kæt /
noun
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cats
plural
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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)
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cats,
present (3rd person singular)
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catted,
past participle, past
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catting
present participle
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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)
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cats,
present (3rd person singular)
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catted,
past participle, past
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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
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clear-air turbulence.
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Medicine/Medical. computerized axial tomography.
cat.
4
American
abbreviation
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catalog; catalogue.
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catechism.
cat
1
British
/ kæt /
noun
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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
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(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
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computer-aided teaching
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computer-assisted trading
cat.
4
British
abbreviation
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catalogue
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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
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catsimple
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catssimple
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have cattedperfect
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has cattedperfect
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am cattingprogressive
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are cattingprogressive
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is cattingprogressive
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have been cattingperfect progressive
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has been cattingperfect progressive
Past
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cattedsimple
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had cattedperfect
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was cattingprogressive
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were cattingprogressive
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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:
“Sensible cat books,” Spark once said, “are devoted to praising the cat for its catness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Dodgers’ steadiest pitcher and coolest cat actually seemed miffed on the mound when Smith didn’t challenge — as shocking a sight as his early exit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Ten years of the “pussyhat”: One of the most memorable—and controversial—symbols of the resistance to Trump’s first term in office was a knitted pink hat made to look like cat ears.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2026
Altai is a rare Amur tiger, also known as a Siberian tiger, the largest big cat in the world.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Immediately, Tiamat tensed her legs, as if to launch herself at the cat.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
In “Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known,” Scott Simon tells of a cat who runs roughshod over recording equipment and boldly horns in on interviews with politicians and pundits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
As a crossover event of meme-fueled popular culture and global sports, it was as though Grumpy Cat had hit a World Series walkoff in Yankee Stadium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Cat traps, fur removal machines and measuring scales were among the items seized during the investigation.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
There was no public indication that things weren’t going well at the nonprofit known as Furget Me Not Purebred Cat Rescue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Maeve was Cat Neely’s dog,” I said slowly.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
A hospital stay, CAT scan and MRI scan followed and Lowri was told to come in for the results.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Yates was hospitalized multiple times and underwent CAT scans and MRIs, her husband said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
The latter includes makers of memory chips, hard drives, fiber-optic cabling and even power generators—Caterpillar’s CAT -0.21%decrease; red down pointing triangle 34% gain so far this year is leading the Dow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Caterpillar CAT 0.68%increase; green up pointing triangle logged a jump in sales in the fourth quarter, boosted by strength across all three of its primary segments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
Before coming to Wipro, Paul managed GE’s CAT scanner business out of Milwaukee.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
"There's just that little spark of hope, even though I know a body has been found clutching a cat. Hard cold facts are pointing to the bodies they've found."
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
“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
“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
“We can go and look for the cat. All I’m saying is that you don’t understand how the world works.”
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
“People don’t believe that. When I am not doing politics, I just want to be home with my cats, my partner and just try to disconnect from the world.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
She told the BBC it was "just really good to have something nearby that I can get to" with her six cats.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Hardware stores across the country are promoting their shop cats as ambassadors and social media stars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"It's very expensive. Seven of my cats were due for vaccine this month and you can imagine the cost of that," she told the BBC.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Get away!” he would say, and he would chase off the cats, the birds, the occasional mouse or rat on the underground.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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
Still another kind of chimney was the "catted" chimney, made of "cats" or rolled-up strips of clay mixed with straw, and placed closely together within a framework of wooden posts and rails.
From Virginia Architecture in the Seventeenth Century by Henry Chandlee Forman
The rope rove for the cat-purchase, by which the anchor is raised to the cat-head or catted.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher
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 James Fenimore Cooper
A strong hook which is a continuation of the iron strop of the cat-block, used to hook the ring of the anchor when it is to be drawn up or catted.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher
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
The form of hooking on the messenger was gone through with, as also were the various preparations for catting and fishing the anchor.
From Down the Rhine Young America in Germany by Oliver Optic
“Do you mean to tell me that any more people have come catting to-day?” demanded Winona.
From Winona of the Camp Fire by Margaret Widdemer
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