fat cat

American  

noun

Slang.

1. a wealthy person from whom large political campaign contributions are expected.

2. any wealthy person, especially one who has become rich quickly through questionable dealings.

3. an important, influential, or famous person.

4. a person who has become lazy or self-satisfied as the result of privilege or advantage.

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fat cat British  

noun

1. slang

   1. a very wealthy or influential person

   2. ( as modifier )

      a fat-cat industrialist

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fat cat Idioms  

1. A wealthy and privileged person, as in This neighborhood, with its million-dollar estates, is full of fat cats. This term originally meant “a rich contributor to a political campaign,” and while this usage persists, it now is often applied more broadly, as in the example. [Colloquial; 1920s]

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Etymology

Origin of fat cat

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

His fat cat industrialist Zsa-Zsa Korda is no underground rebel.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

A giant inflatable fat cat waved in the breeze as dozens of drivers heading down Broadway honked their car horns in support.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2021

But together with government documents, the picture they paint of Jones and Williams suggests a leadership that has at times aspired more to the role of fat cat than defender of workers.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2019

“He’s eating pasta! By making light of that, we’re saying it’s not so bad — a fat cat is a happy cat.”

From Washington Post • Nov. 1, 2019

“And you say this fat cat travlin around with his momma?”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole