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.
NavyInformal. 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.
BritishSlang. 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
First recorded 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 (unattested Slavic kotŭ, Lithuanian katė̃ perhaps from Germanic ), Late Latin cattus, catta (first attested in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); further origin uncertain
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 5)
cat1
/ (kæt) /
noun
Also called: domestic cata 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 catany 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 catRelated adjective: feline
old-fashioneda woman who gossips maliciously
slanga man; guy
nauticala 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 catsIrishinformala bad-tempered personshe's a real bag of cats this morning
fight like Kilkenny catsto fight until both parties are destroyed
let the cat out of the bagto disclose a secret, often by mistake
like a cat on a hot tin rooforlike a cat on hot bricksin an uneasy or agitated state
like cat and dogquarrelling savagely
look like something the cat brought into appear dishevelled or bedraggled
not a cat in hell's chanceno chance at all
not have room to swing a catto have very little space
play cat and mouseto 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 pigeonsto introduce some violently disturbing new element
rain cats and dogsto rain very heavily
verbcats, cattingorcatted
(tr)to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails
(tr)nauticalto hoist (an anchor) to the cathead
(intr) a slang word for vomit
Derived forms of cat
catlike, adjectivecattish, 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