cat
cat Lexical Profile
cat Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small domesticated carnivorous mammal with soft fur, a short snout, and retractile claws, widely kept as a pet or for catching mice.
"The orange cat curled up on the windowsill to sleep in the warm afternoon sun."
Any wild member of the feline family, such as a lion, tiger, leopard, or lynx.
"The conservation program aims to protect large cats native to the African savanna."
American A person, especially a man, often used to refer to an enthusiast of jazz music or someone considered stylish.
"He was a cool cat who always knew the best underground clubs in the city."
• verb
To concatenate and display the contents of a computer file to the standard output (especially in Unix-like operating systems).
"You can cat the system log to quickly check for any recent error messages."
British To vomit or regurgitate (slang).
"The excessive movement of the small boat caused the unfortunate passenger to cat over the side."
To hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship and secure it (nautical).
"The sailors worked together to cat the anchor before the fierce storm arrived."
• Rhymes for cat
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'catt', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'kat' and German 'Katze', widely believed to derive from Late Latin 'cattus'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.