kitten
Americannoun
-
kittens
plural
verb (used with or without object)
noun
-
a young cat
-
US equivalent: have a cow. informal to react with disapproval, anxiety, etc
she had kittens when she got the bill
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of kitten
1350–1400; Middle English kitoun, apparently blend of kiteling kitling and Middle French chitoun, variant of chaton kitten
Explanation
A kitten is a baby cat. There is nothing more adorable then a bunch of fuzzy little kittens playing together. While there are a few other animals whose young are called kittens, like beavers, rabbits, and rats, the word most commonly describes a baby cat. Kittens are dependent on their mothers for food and protection until they are around six to eight weeks old, when they're still adorable but also able to eat solid food. Kitten comes from the Middle English kitoun, which is rooted in the Old French chitoun, or "little cat."
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 3-week-old kitten was found in his den on March 25.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
A beaming Vickye Giraldo holds her rescued kitten tight against her chest outside her ruined home in quake-hit Cali, Colombia.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
The city’s vouchers for the Community Cat Program have stagnated compared with vouchers for individuals with pets, Naitaki said, leading to explosive kitten seasons like this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The most stylish way to wear them this summer is with a kitten heel, according to fashion expert and trend forecaster Angela Baidoo.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The kitten purred in agreement and started cleaning his paws.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
“When that many vulnerable animals arrive before our foster network has fully mobilized, the gap between what a shelter can provide and what neonatal kittens need to survive becomes devastating,” Amster said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I was going and playing Ed Gein all day and then going back to my suite at the Four Seasons Hotel at night and playing with kittens for four hours,” he says smiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Kobe kittens weighed around 150 grams when they were born but now weigh more than one kilo and are starting to eat solid food like chicken and horse meat, the zoo said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
During the study period, cameras captured images of a mother mountain lion accompanied by kittens.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026
It does not shine as brightly as it had when she ran through the halls with Widget what seems like more than a few years ago, chasing marmalade kittens through a rainbow of guests.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
