kitten

1 of 2

noun

kit·​ten ˈki-tᵊn How to pronounce kitten (audio)
Synonyms of kittennext
: a young cat
also : an immature or young individual of various other small mammals

kitten

2 of 2

verb

kittened; kittening
ˈkit-niŋ, 
ˈki-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce kitten (audio)

intransitive verb

: to give birth to kittens

Examples of kitten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Nearly 900 kittens were euthanized from January through June, up from about 600 the first six months of last year, for a 43% increase. — Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 Laurie Allen left her home in Nine Mile Falls, a community north of Spokane, last weekend, fleeing with her husband, dog and two kittens as a wildfire burned a short distance away. — Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2026 Lion cubs are similar to domestic kittens at birth, in that they're born blind and their eyes open within about a week or two, the zoo said in a previous press release. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 Upon arrival, officers discovered more than 30 cats and kittens roaming the otherwise empty craft. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for kitten

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English kitoun, from Anglo-French *kiton, chiton, diminutive of cat, chat cat, from Late Latin cattus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kitten was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing kitten

Rhymes for kitten

See All Rhymes for kitten

Browse Nearby Words

kittel
kitten
kittenball
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kitten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kitten. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

kitten

noun
kit·​ten
ˈkit-ᵊn
: a young cat
also : a young individual of various other small mammals

More from Merriam-Webster on kitten

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kitten

Nglish: Translation of kitten for Spanish Speakers

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