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.
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the hole or lair of an animal, especially a fox.
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a wretched abode likened to a doghouse.
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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
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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
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a pack of hounds
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
kennelsimple
-
kennelssimple
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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:
Animal Care and Control officials cited “The Exorcist” star Linda Blair after several complaints led county authorities to investigate her Acton dog kennel operation where they discovered 251 canines at the unlicensed facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"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
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
Volunteers and community members have voiced concerns to the Animal Services Commission about poor conditions causing kennel stress, or behavioral decline in animals inside the shelter, sometimes leading to euthanasia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
In the end, the duke hired Joe’s father to run the kennel, he let Joe keep Lassie, and Lassie had puppies.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
A German Shepherd dog, understood to have been involved in the incident, had been seized by police officers and remained in police kennels, the spokesperson added.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
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
Aimiee Sadler, chief executive of Dogs Playing for Life, said that the program helps make dogs more suitable for adoption and that keeping dogs confined to their kennels is equal to “incarceration.”
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
On top of the big kennels are 10 smaller cages with smaller dogs.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
Rapaport volunteers to be kenneled while “Big Brother” contestant Tiffany Mitchell takes it on herself to fight for him.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
She had been monitoring Angel, a 2-year-old black German shepherd, who was kenneled in the back at the Palmdale shelter, in an area that required an escort.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 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
It was known that Queen Wetamoo was with Canonchet, but not certainly that King Philip had "kenneled" there.
From Boys' Book of Indian Warriors and Heroic Indian Women by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin
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
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
At last I discovered that it was the howling of the kennelled blood-hounds which I missed.
From Red Axe by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
I didn't know enough to understand the wrong of one lazy idler having this splendid place while the people he lived on kennelled in hovels.
From The Workingman's Paradise An Australian Labour Novel by John Maurice Miller
"Well, I'm not too sure it's proper for you to be here as long as you have no dog kennelled here."
From Man of Many Minds by E. Everett (Edward Everett) Evans
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, etc.
From Taxidermy by Leon Luther Pray
Contains chapters on the history and development of the breed, selection of dog, 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
"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
Fincham was ordered to pay £3,680 in total, including a £2,000 contribution to kennelling costs, a fine of £961 and £200 compensation to Mr Sudell.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2025
They had thought that fifteen people might attend, to see their demonstration of a lion-proof enclosure made with kennelling materials available at Home Depot.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 5, 2017
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
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.
