cat
cat [cat cats catted catting] BrE [kæt] NAmE [kæt] noun
1. a small animal with soft fur that people often keep as a pet. Cats catch and kill birds and mice
•cat food
see also ↑kitten, ↑tomcat
2. a wild animal of the cat family
•the big cats (= ↑lions, ↑tigers, etc.)
see also ↑fat cat, ↑wildcat
more at curiosity killed the cat at ↑curiosity, be raining cats and dogs at ↑rain v., no room to swing a cat at ↑room n., there's more than one way to skin a cat at ↑way n.
Idioms: ↑cat got your tongue? ▪ ↑let the cat out of the bag ▪ ↑like a cat on hot bricks ▪ ↑like a cat that's got the cream ▪ ↑look like something the cat brought in ▪ ↑not have a cat in hell's chance ▪ ↑play a cat-and-mouse game with somebody ▪ ↑play cat and mouse with somebody ▪ ↑put the cat among the pigeons ▪ ↑the cat's pyjamas ▪ ↑when the cat's away the mice will play
See also: ↑like the cat that got the canary
Word Origin:
Old English catt, catte, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kat and German Katze; reinforced in Middle English by forms from late Latin cattus.
Example Bank:
•Cats mark their territory by spraying.
•He was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
•In our childhood Irina and I fought like cat and dog.
•She went to Africa to photograph big cats.
•The cat miaowed pitifully.
•The cat slunk away into the darkness.
•The cat was in constant pain so they had it put down.
•The stray cats are wormed and treated with flea powder.
•There was a cat yowling outside my window last night.
•They didn't want kittens, so they had their cat spayed.
•We have a pet cat called Archie.
•Young car thieves enjoy playing cat and mouse with the police.
•the fat cats of big business
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