# kennel

/ˈkɛnəɫ/ (US) · /kˈɛnəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kennel
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. dog house

noun · CEFR B2

a small wooden or plastic house for a dog to sleep in outdoors.

For teachers: a small, purpose-built shelter for a domestic dog, typically situated outdoors.

- The dog ran into his kennel when it started to rain.
- The old retriever preferred sleeping in his wooden kennel rather than coming inside the house during the summer months.

### 2. boarding facility

noun · CEFR B2

a place where people pay to leave their dogs while they go on holiday.

For teachers: a commercial establishment where dogs are boarded, bred, or cared for in the absence of their owners.

- We left our puppy at a local kennel while we were away for the weekend.
- Before booking the holiday, they inspected the boarding kennel to ensure the facilities were clean and the staff were qualified.

### 3. to house a dog

verb · CEFR C1 · Formal

to put a dog in a shelter or a boarding place.

For teachers: to place or keep a dog in a kennel; often used in the context of professional boarding or hunting.

- The vet suggested we kennel the dog overnight to watch his recovery.
- The hunt master decided to kennel the hounds early due to the approaching storm and the falling temperatures.

### 4. street gutter

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old word for the gutter at the side of a street.

For teachers: the surface drain or gutter at the edge of a street; now largely replaced by 'gutter' in modern usage.

- In the old story, the dirty water ran down the kennel after the storm.
- The historical novel described the narrow city streets where waste was frequently tossed into the central kennel to be washed away by the rain.

## Examples

- The dog sleeps in a wooden kennel in the garden.
- We left our golden retriever at a local kennel while we went away for the weekend.
- The breeder maintained a highly professional kennel, ensuring that every puppy received proper socialization and veterinary care before being placed with a new family.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.