cat
♦ cat /k'æt/ (cats)
1 [N-COUNT]
A cat is a furry animal that has a long tail and sharp claws. Cats are often kept as pets.
2 [N-COUNT]
Cats are lions, tigers, and other wild animals in the same family.
3
see also Cheshire cat, fat cat,
4 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you let the cat out of the bag, you tell people about something that was being kept secret. You often do this by mistake.
5 [PHRASE] usu v PHR, PHR n
In a fight or contest, if one person plays cat and mouse, or a game of cat and mouse, with the other, the first person tries to confuse or deceive the second in order to defeat them.
After three hours of playing cat and mouse, they threatened to open fire on our vessel, so we stopped...
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you put the cat among the pigeons or set the cat among the pigeons, you cause fierce argument or discussion by doing or saying something. (BRIT)
The bank is poised to put the cat among the pigeons this morning by slashing the cost of borrowing.
7 [PHRASE] with brd-neg, usu v-link PHR
If you say `There's no room to swing a cat' or `You can't swing a cat', you mean that the place you are talking about is very small or crowded.
It was described as a large, luxury mobile home, but there was barely room to swing a cat.al|ley cat (alley cats)
[N-COUNT]
An alley cat is a cat that lives in the streets of a town, is rather fierce, and is usually not owned by anyone.big cat (big cats)
[N-COUNT]
Big cats are lions, tigers, and other large wild animals in the cat family.cat bur|glar (cat burglars)
[N-COUNT]
A cat burglar is a thief who steals from houses or other buildings by climbing up walls and entering through windows or through the roof.Chesh|ire cat /tʃ'eʃər k'æt/
[PHRASE]
If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.
He had a grin on his face like a Cheshire Cat.
...a Cheshire Cat smile.fat cat (fat cats)
[N-COUNT]
If you refer to a businessman or politician as a fat cat, you are indicating that you disapprove of the way they use their wealth and power. (INFORMAL BUSINESS)
...the fat cats who run the bank.Sia|mese cat /s'aɪəmiːz k'æt/ (Siamese cats)
[N-COUNT]
A Siamese cat is a type of cat with short cream and brown fur, blue eyes, dark ears, and a dark tail.tom cat (tomcats)
also tomcat
[N-COUNT]
A tom cat is a male cat.
= tom
1 [N-COUNT]
A cat is a furry animal that has a long tail and sharp claws. Cats are often kept as pets.
2 [N-COUNT]
Cats are lions, tigers, and other wild animals in the same family.
3
see also Cheshire cat, fat cat,
4 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you let the cat out of the bag, you tell people about something that was being kept secret. You often do this by mistake.
5 [PHRASE] usu v PHR, PHR n
In a fight or contest, if one person plays cat and mouse, or a game of cat and mouse, with the other, the first person tries to confuse or deceive the second in order to defeat them.
After three hours of playing cat and mouse, they threatened to open fire on our vessel, so we stopped...
6 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you put the cat among the pigeons or set the cat among the pigeons, you cause fierce argument or discussion by doing or saying something. (BRIT)
The bank is poised to put the cat among the pigeons this morning by slashing the cost of borrowing.
7 [PHRASE] with brd-neg, usu v-link PHR
If you say `There's no room to swing a cat' or `You can't swing a cat', you mean that the place you are talking about is very small or crowded.
It was described as a large, luxury mobile home, but there was barely room to swing a cat.al|ley cat (alley cats)
[N-COUNT]
An alley cat is a cat that lives in the streets of a town, is rather fierce, and is usually not owned by anyone.big cat (big cats)
[N-COUNT]
Big cats are lions, tigers, and other large wild animals in the cat family.cat bur|glar (cat burglars)
[N-COUNT]
A cat burglar is a thief who steals from houses or other buildings by climbing up walls and entering through windows or through the roof.Chesh|ire cat /tʃ'eʃər k'æt/
[PHRASE]
If someone is grinning like a Cheshire cat or like the Cheshire cat, they are smiling very widely.
He had a grin on his face like a Cheshire Cat.
...a Cheshire Cat smile.fat cat (fat cats)
[N-COUNT]
If you refer to a businessman or politician as a fat cat, you are indicating that you disapprove of the way they use their wealth and power. (INFORMAL BUSINESS)
...the fat cats who run the bank.Sia|mese cat /s'aɪəmiːz k'æt/ (Siamese cats)
[N-COUNT]
A Siamese cat is a type of cat with short cream and brown fur, blue eyes, dark ears, and a dark tail.tom cat (tomcats)
also tomcat
[N-COUNT]
A tom cat is a male cat.
= tom