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Synonyms

kitty

1 American  
[kit-ee] / ˈkɪt i /

noun

plural

kitties

  1. a kitten.

  2. a pet name for a cat.

kitty 2 American  
[kit-ee] / ˈkɪt i /

noun

plural

kitties

  1. a pool or reserve of money, often collected from a number of persons or sources and designated for a particular purpose specified by the contributors.

  2. Cards.

    1. a pool into which players in a game put a certain amount of their winnings for some special purpose, as to pay for refreshments.

    2. the pot, or a special pot, for the collection of forfeits or payments for certain high hands.

    3. widow.

Kitty 3 American  
[kit-ee] / ˈkɪt i /

noun

  1. a female given name, form of Katherine or Catherine.

kitty 1 British  
/ ˈkɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the pool of bets in certain gambling games

  2. any shared fund of money, etc

  3. (in bowls) the jack

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
kitty 2 British  
/ ˈkɪtɪ /

noun

  1. a diminutive or affectionate name for a kitten cat 1

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of kitty1

First recorded in 1710–20; kitt(en) + -y 2

Origin of kitty2

First recorded in 1815–25; kit 1 + -y 2

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.

Spending cash from the kitty is clean, clear and less dangerous if things go wrong.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 31, 2025

Another woman, who we're calling Jemima, says on a recent hen weekend, she had to contribute to a central kitty for bars - even though she doesn't drink.

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025

A public crowdfunding campaign raised bail money, but the kitty quickly ran dry, leaving many defendants stuck in high-security prisons awaiting trial.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 9, 2025

This is all so he can coddle his sulky, wild teenage son while expecting Carrie to limit all extracurricular cuddles to her adopted kitty, Shoe.

From Salon • May 29, 2025

“Here, kitty kitty kitty...Yummy treats for you, Flabby Tabby!”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

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.