- cat
- nounADJECTIVE▪ domestic, family, house (esp. AmE), household, pet▪ big▪
She went to Africa to photograph big cats.
▪ feral, wild▪ alley, stray▪ pedigree (BrE), pedigreed (AmE)▪ long-haired, short-haired▪ calico (AmE), tabby, tortoiseshell, etc.▪ tom (usually tomcat)▪ playful▪ sleek▪ Cheshire (figurative)▪He was grinning like a Cheshire cat (= smiling widely).
▪ fat (figurative)▪the fat cats of big business
VERB + CAT▪ have, keep, own▪We have a pet cat called Archie.
▪ feed▪ pet (AmE), stroke (esp. BrE)▪ neuter, spay▪They didn't want kittens, so they had their cat spayed.
▪ put down▪The cat was in constant pain so they had it put down.
CAT + VERB▪ hiss, mew, miaow/meow, purr, spit, yowl▪The cat miaowed pitifully.
▪There was a cat yowling outside my window last night.
▪ bite (sb), scratch (sb)▪ creep, pad, prowl, slink▪A cat padded silently past.
▪The cat slunk away into the darkness.
▪ arch its back▪ crouch▪ curl up▪ catch sth, hunt (sth), stalk sth▪ jump, leap, pounce (on sth), spring▪ spray (sth)▪Cats mark their territory by spraying.
CAT + NOUN▪ door (AmE), flap (BrE)▪ food▪ litter▪ dander (AmE), hair▪ lover, owner▪ phobiaPHRASES▪ fight like cat and dog (BrE), fight like cats and dogs (AmE)▪In our childhood Irina and I fought like cat(s) and dog(s).
▪ play (a game of) cat and mouse▪Young car thieves enjoy playing cat and mouse with the police.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
