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
Recently, in the Simi Hills north of the crossing, his team marked three kittens, the first litter for the 3 ½-year-old lion known as P-113. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Researchers found that kittens were more likely to test positive than older cats, and male cats were more likely to be infected than female cats. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 On domestic flights, puppies and kittens must be at least two months old. — Sarah Kuta, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Oct. 2026 Bean Found as an emaciated stray eating trash at a gas station in Nogales, Mexico, Bean is now a healthy rescue pug who has never met a stranger and adores spending time with cats, kittens, babies, and toddlers. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 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 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All