# Kitty

/ˈkɪti/ (US) · /kˈɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/kitty
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a cat

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

a friendly or childish name for a cat or a kitten.

For teachers: a hypocoristic or diminutive term for a cat of any age, though often specifically referring to a kitten.

- The little girl called her new kitty over for a bowl of milk.
- The stray kitty eventually grew comfortable enough to approach the porch, lured by the consistent offering of kibble.

### 2. shared money

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a collection of money that a group of people put together to pay for shared costs.

For teachers: a collective fund or pool of money to which participants contribute for shared expenses or joint purposes.

- We all put ten dollars into the kitty to pay for the office snacks.
- By the end of the holiday, the communal kitty was nearly empty, having covered all the group's transport and dining costs.

### 3. gambling pot

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang

the total amount of money that players can win in a card game.

For teachers: the total sum of money at stake in a game of chance, or a specific portion set aside for house expenses.

- He won the whole kitty with a lucky pair of aces.
- The veteran poker players agreed that a small percentage of every winning hand would go into the kitty to pay for the room rental.

### 4. a name

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a short name for a woman named Katherine.

For teachers: a diminutive or pet form of the female given name Katherine or its variants.

- Her full name is Katherine, but all her friends call her Kitty.
- Kitty was a popular nickname in the early twentieth century, though it is less commonly used as a formal diminutive today.

### 5. prison

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect · Slang

a slang word for a jail or prison.

For teachers: a slang term for a place of legal confinement or a local lockup.

- He spent a night in the kitty after the rowdy protest.
- Local lore suggested that the old stone building had served as the town kitty for decades before the new precinct was built.

## Examples

- The little kitty is sleeping on the sofa.
- She left a bowl of milk outside for the stray kitty that visits her garden every evening.
- While the children referred to the new pet as a kitty, the veterinarian noted that the animal was actually a fully grown, albeit unusually small, adult feline.

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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.