cat

[ kat ]

/ kæt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR cat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small domesticated carnivore, Felis domestica or F. catus, bred in a number of varieties.

any of several carnivores of the family Felidae, as the lion, tiger, leopard or jaguar, etc.

Slang.

a person, especially a man.
a devotee of jazz.

a woman given to spiteful or malicious gossip.

the fur of the domestic cat.

a cat-o'-nine-tails.

Games.

Chiefly British. the tapering piece of wood used in the game of tipcat.
Chiefly British. the game itself.
four old cat, one old cat, three old cat, two old cat.

a catboat.

a catamaran.

a catfish.

Nautical. a tackle used in hoisting an anchor to the cathead.

a double tripod having six legs but resting on only three no matter how it is set down, usually used before or over a fire.

Navy Informal. catapult(def 2).

(in medieval warfare) a movable shelter for providing protection when approaching a fortification.

verb (used with object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails.

Nautical. to hoist (an anchor) and secure to a cathead.

verb (used without object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

British Slang. to vomit.

Verb Phrases

cat around, Slang.

to spend one's time aimlessly or idly.
to seek sexual activity indiscriminately; tomcat.

Idioms for cat

bell the cat, to attempt something formidable or dangerous.

let the cat out of the bag, to divulge a secret, especially inadvertently or carelessly: He let the cat out of the bag, and the surprise party wasn't a surprise after all.

Origin of cat

before 900; Middle English cat, catte, Old English catt (masculine), catte (feminine); cognate with Old Frisian, Middle Dutch katte, Old High German kazza, Old Norse kǫttr, Irish cat, Welsh cath (Slavic *kotŭ, Lithuanian katė̃ perhaps < Gmc), Late Latin cattus, catta (first attested in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); ultimately origin obscure

Words nearby cat

casuarina, casuist, casuistic, casuistry, casus belli, cat, cat and mouse, cat brier, cat burglar, cat cafe, cat cracker

Definition for cat (2 of 5)

Cat

[ kat ]

/ kæt /

Trademark.

a Caterpillar tractor.

Definition for cat (3 of 5)

CAT

clear-air turbulence.

Medicine/Medical. computerized axial tomography.

Compare CAT scanner.

Definition for cat (4 of 5)

cata-

a prefix meaning “down,” “against,” “back,” occurring originally in loanwords from Greek (cataclysm; catalog; catalepsy); on this model, used in the formation of other compound words (catagenesis; cataphyll).

Also especially before a vowel, cat-; cath-, kata-.

Origin of cata-

< Greek kata-, combining form of katá down, through, against, according to, towards, during

Definition for cat (5 of 5)

cat.

catalog; catalogue.

catechism.

Example sentences from the Web for cat

We did a movie down in Durango — Great Scout and Cat House Thursday.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
We coo over how cute our cat is and minimize the drudgery of cleaning the litter box.

Why Didn’t Camille Dump Bill Cosby? |Amanda Marcotte |December 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So Western governments are caught in a cat-and-mouse game and at times it is unclear who is the cat and who the mouse.

ISIS Has a Message. Do We? |Jamie Dettmer |December 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The sort of thing where someone write “I love my cat more than my kids” or something like that.

Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life |David Yaffe |December 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Last year, her group successfully helped push through a measure that made the sale of cat fur illegal in the country.

Will the Swiss Quit Cooking their Kittens and Puppies? |Barbie Latza Nadeau |November 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
While looking out of that top-floor window one day I noticed a cat on a window-ledge of the house across the street.

Outwitting the Hun |Pat O'Brien
If a man treats you badly in any way, you threaten to pay him back in his own coin by saying, 'The cat hasn't eaten the year yet.'

English As We Speak It in Ireland |P. W. Joyce
When the sheep saw the cat dancing they began to dance, too.

Tales of Giants from Brazil |Elsie Spicer Eells
In their Navy, on the other hand, they often get the cat itself.

Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 23, 1914 |Various
The street was quite deserted; not even a cat or a policeman moved on it and Van Bibber's footsteps sounded brisk on the sidewalk.

Gallegher and Other Stories |Richard Harding Davis

British Dictionary definitions for cat (1 of 6)

cat ¹

/ (kæt) /

noun

Also called: domestic cat a small domesticated feline mammal, Felis catus (or domesticus), having thick soft fur and occurring in many breeds in which the colour of the fur varies greatly: kept as a pet or to catch rats and mice

Also called: big cat any of the larger felines, such as a lion or tiger

any wild feline mammal of the genus Felis, such as the lynx or serval, resembling the domestic cat Related adjective: feline

old-fashioned a woman who gossips maliciously

slang a man; guy

nautical a heavy tackle for hoisting an anchor to the cathead

a short sharp-ended piece of wood used in the game of tipcat

short for catboat

informal short for Caterpillar

short for cat-o'-nine-tails

a bag of cats Irish informal a bad-tempered person she's a real bag of cats this morning

fight like Kilkenny cats to fight until both parties are destroyed

let the cat out of the bag to disclose a secret, often by mistake

like a cat on a hot tin roof or like a cat on hot bricks in an uneasy or agitated state

like cat and dog quarrelling savagely

look like something the cat brought in to appear dishevelled or bedraggled

not a cat in hell's chance no chance at all

not have room to swing a cat to have very little space

play cat and mouse to play with a person or animal in a cruel or teasing way, esp before a final act of cruelty or unkindness

put the cat among the pigeons to introduce some violently disturbing new element

rain cats and dogs to rain very heavily

verb cats, catting or catted

(tr) to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails

(tr) nautical to hoist (an anchor) to the cathead

(intr) a slang word for vomit

Derived forms of cat

catlike, adjective cattish, adjective

Word Origin for cat

Old English catte, from Latin cattus; related to Old Norse köttr, Old High German kazza, Old French chat, Russian kot

British Dictionary definitions for cat (2 of 6)

cat ²

/ (kæt) /

noun

informal short for catamaran (def. 1)

British Dictionary definitions for cat (3 of 6)

cat ³

/ (kæt) /

noun

short for catalytic converter
(as modifier)a cat car

adjective

short for catalytic a cat cracker

British Dictionary definitions for cat (4 of 6)

CAT

abbreviation for

computer-aided teaching

computer-assisted trading

British Dictionary definitions for cat (5 of 6)

cat.

abbreviation for

catalogue

catamaran

British Dictionary definitions for cat (6 of 6)

cata-

kata-, before an aspirate cath- or before a vowel cat-

prefix

down; downwards; lower in position catadromous; cataphyll

indicating reversal, opposition, degeneration, etc cataplasia; catatonia

Word Origin for cata-

from Greek kata-, from kata. In compound words borrowed from Greek, kata- means: down ( catabolism), away, off ( catalectic), against ( category), according to ( catholic), and thoroughly ( catalogue)

Medical definitions for cat (1 of 2)

CAT

abbr.

computerized axial tomography

Medical definitions for cat (2 of 2)

cata-

pref.

Down:catabolism.

Reverse; backward; degenerative:cataplasia.

Idioms and Phrases with cat

cat

In addition to the idioms beginning with cat

cat got one's tongue

also see:

alley cat
bell the cat
curiosity killed the cat
fat cat
grin like a Cheshire cat
let the cat out of the bag
like a cat on a hot brick
look like something the cat dragged in
look like the cat that ate the canary
more than one way to skin a cat
not enough room to swing a cat
play cat and mouse
rain cats and dogs
when the cat's away

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cat

noun

verb (used with object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

verb (used without object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for cat

Origin of cat

Words nearby cat

Definition for cat (2 of 5)

Trademark.

Definition for cat (3 of 5)

Definition for cat (4 of 5)

Origin of cata-

Definition for cat (5 of 5)

Example sentences from the Web for cat

British Dictionary definitions for cat (1 of 6)

noun

verb cats, catting or catted

Derived forms of cat

Word Origin for cat

British Dictionary definitions for cat (2 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for cat (3 of 6)

noun

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for cat (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for cat (5 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for cat (6 of 6)

kata-, before an aspirate cath- or before a vowel cat-

prefix

Word Origin for cata-

Medical definitions for cat (1 of 2)

abbr.

Medical definitions for cat (2 of 2)

pref.

Idioms and Phrases with cat

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cat

noun

verb (used with object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

verb (used without object), cat·ted, cat·ting.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for cat

Origin of cat

Words nearby cat

Definition for cat (2 of 5)

Trademark.

Definition for cat (3 of 5)

Definition for cat (4 of 5)

Origin of cata-

Definition for cat (5 of 5)

Words related to cat

Example sentences from the Web for cat

British Dictionary definitions for cat (1 of 6)

noun

verb cats, catting or catted

Derived forms of cat

Word Origin for cat

British Dictionary definitions for cat (2 of 6)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for cat (3 of 6)

noun

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for cat (4 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for cat (5 of 6)

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for cat (6 of 6)

kata-, before an aspirate cath- or before a vowel cat-

prefix

Word Origin for cata-

Medical definitions for cat (1 of 2)

abbr.

Medical definitions for cat (2 of 2)

pref.

Idioms and Phrases with cat