cat

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A small, furry, meat-eating pet with sharp claws and whiskers, often kept in homes to catch mice or for company.

   Grammar: Counted: one cat, three cats.

   Patterns

   • a cat on something
   • feed the cat

   Our cat sleeps on the windowsill all afternoon.

   The cat jumped onto the table and knocked over a glass.

   She adopted a stray cat from the shelter.

2. 2nouncountable

   Any animal belonging to the same family as the household pet, including lions, tigers and leopards.

   Grammar: Often used with an adjective such as big or wild: a big cat.

   Patterns

   • a big cat
   • wild cats in somewhere

   The zoo is building a new home for its big cats.

   Leopards are solitary cats that hunt at night.

   Scientists are tracking wild cats in the mountains.

3. 3nouncountableslangold-fashioned

   A man, especially one thought of as stylish, relaxed or fond of jazz.

   Grammar: Slang, mostly in phrases like cool cat, and now dated.

   Patterns

   • a cool cat

   The trumpet player was a cool cat who never seemed rushed.

   In the 1950s, a jazz cat would hang around the club until closing.

   My grandfather still calls his old friends cats.

Word forms

Common combinations

stray cat

A stray cat has been sleeping under our porch.

big cat

The big cat paced behind the glass.

cat food

We bought a bag of cat food at the supermarket.

cat flap

The cat flap lets her come and go as she pleases.

let the cat out of the bag

He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

cool cat

The old saxophonist was a cool cat.

Synonyms and how they differ

feline

Feline is a formal or scientific word for any member of the cat family, while cat is the everyday word.

kitty

Kitty is an affectionate, childish word for a cat, often used with a small animal.

kitten

Kitten means a young cat only, whereas cat is the general word for any age.

tomcat

Tomcat means a male cat in particular, while cat does not specify gender.

Opposites

Word family

catty adjective

unkind or spiteful in a quiet way

catnap noun

a short sleep during the day

catlike adjective

moving or acting like a cat, quietly and gracefully

kitten noun

a young cat

catwalk noun

a narrow raised platform, such as a fashion runway

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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