often attributive
1
a
: a carnivorous mammal (Felis catus) long domesticated as a pet and for catching rats and mice
b
: any of a family (Felidae) of carnivorous usually solitary and nocturnal mammals (such as the domestic cat, lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah)
2
a
: guy
some young … cat asked me to go drinking with him—
Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
b
: a player or devotee of jazz
3
: a strong tackle used to hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship
6
7
: a malicious woman
especially
: one given to making catty remarks about other women
catted; catting
usually vulgar
: to search for a sexual mate
—often used with around
: to bring (an anchor) up to the cathead
1
catalog
2
catalyst
1
clean-air turbulence
2
computerized axial tomography
Synonyms
Examples of cat in a Sentence
Noun
I have two dogs and a cat.
the family's cat did an exemplary job of keeping the house and yard free of all rodents
Recent Examples on the WebIrene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Reader responses Recent columns, most involving cats, have drawn quite a few reader comments and suggestions.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
It was generally perceived as an act of intense devotion: accepting a horrible night’s sleep, on a couch that reeked of cat pee, while facing the prospect of Ram Dass dying on your watch.
—Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Rancho Coastal Humane Society A 3-year-old male cat named Kingston is up for adoption at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society
Facebook
Animal: Kingston, 3-year-old, 13-pound male domestic shorthair cat.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Of those, about 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Pet Sematary King was famously inspired to write 1983’s Pet Sematary after his daughter’s cat died suddenly.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Possible behavior changes can include: aggression happiness overt signs of affection
playfulness
relaxation
What colors can cats see?
Cats can only see blue, yellow and shades of gray, according to animaleyegroup.com.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The officer found that the cat had been shot in the head with a blowgun dart that was approximately 6 inches in length.
—Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 27 Mar. 2024
Joseph Goodman, AL.com, 17 June 2017
Cat Mountain Tr., 1400 block: Theft of property ($100-$750).
—Mitch Mitchell, star-telegram.com, 16 June 2017
Cat prowled beneath the shelf, but had no way to reach my little fish.
—Elisabeth Egan, chicagotribune.com, 10 June 2017
Q. How worried should cat owners be about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, especially with babies in the house?
—Karen Weintraub, New York Times, 8 June 2017
Go to Cat Tuong in Kastanienallee for wow-factor vegan/vegetarian Vietnamese dishes—
—Alexandra Pereira, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2017
Today, the government is trying hard to eliminate cats from the landscape and is even involved in the invention of new cat poisons and gory things, which are upsetting to cat lovers.
—Martin Mejia, National Geographic, 13 Nov. 2016
Noun
The people at the time may also have had a supernatural relationship with the cats.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2024
Reader responses Recent columns, most involving cats, have drawn quite a few reader comments and suggestions.
—Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
It was generally perceived as an act of intense devotion: accepting a horrible night’s sleep, on a couch that reeked of cat pee, while facing the prospect of Ram Dass dying on your watch.
—Christopher Fiorello, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Rancho Coastal Humane Society A 3-year-old male cat named Kingston is up for adoption at the Rancho Coastal Humane Society
Facebook
Animal: Kingston, 3-year-old, 13-pound male domestic shorthair cat.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Of those, about 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Pet Sematary King was famously inspired to write 1983’s Pet Sematary after his daughter’s cat died suddenly.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Possible behavior changes can include: aggression happiness overt signs of affection
playfulness
relaxation
What colors can cats see?
Cats can only see blue, yellow and shades of gray, according to animaleyegroup.com.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The officer found that the cat had been shot in the head with a blowgun dart that was approximately 6 inches in length.
—Daniel McFadin, arkansasonline.com, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cat knew how to draw out the best in his son athletically and emotionally.
—Joseph Goodman, AL.com, 17 June 2017
Cat Mountain Tr., 1400 block: Theft of property ($100-$750).
—Mitch Mitchell, star-telegram.com, 16 June 2017
Cat prowled beneath the shelf, but had no way to reach my little fish.
—Elisabeth Egan, chicagotribune.com, 10 June 2017
Q. How worried should cat owners be about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, especially with babies in the house?
—Karen Weintraub, New York Times, 8 June 2017
Go to Cat Tuong in Kastanienallee for wow-factor vegan/vegetarian Vietnamese dishes—
—Alexandra Pereira, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2017
Today, the government is trying hard to eliminate cats from the landscape and is even involved in the invention of new cat poisons and gory things, which are upsetting to cat lovers.
—Martin Mejia, National Geographic, 13 Nov. 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old English catt, probably from Late Latin cattus, catta cat
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1681, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of cat was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing cat
Dictionary Entries Near cat
Cite this Entry
“Cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
cat
nounˈkat
1
a
: a small domestic meat-eating mammal kept by people as a pet or for catching rats and mice
b
: an animal (as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah) that belongs to the same family as the domestic cat
2
slang
: man entry 1 sense 1a, fellow
Medical Definition
cat
1 of 2 nounoften attributive
1
: a carnivorous mammal (Felis catus) long domesticated and kept as a pet or for catching rats and mice
2
: any of a family (Felidae) of mammals including the domestic cat, lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cougar, wildcat, lynx, and cheetah
CAT
2 of 2 abbreviation
computed axial tomography; computerized axial tomography
More from Merriam-Webster on cat
Nglish: Translation of cat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cat for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cat
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share