kitty
1 Americannoun
plural
kitties-
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.
-
Cards.
-
a pool into which players in a game put a certain amount of their winnings for some special purpose, as to pay for refreshments.
-
the pot, or a special pot, for the collection of forfeits or payments for certain high hands.
-
noun
noun
-
the pool of bets in certain gambling games
-
any shared fund of money, etc
-
(in bowls) the jack
noun
Etymology
Origin of kitty1
First recorded in 1710–20; kitt(en) + -y 2
Origin of kitty2
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
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
Thus, the slight that almost became my Joker origin story instead ignited a kitty heist.
From Salon • Dec. 6, 2024
Rep SG with your chest, or rather, on your chest, with dangling little embellishments like a blinged-out strawberry or framed pensive kitty.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2024
A little kitty with white stripes on its back emerged, and we locked eyes.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
![]()
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.