cat

IPA/kæt/
KK[kˈæt]IPA/kæt/

cat — 名詞

  • catsingular
  • catsplural

1. a small pet animal with whiskers, sharp claws, and a tail that often lives with

1.名詞A1
釋義

常被養在家裡、也會抓老鼠的小動物

a small pet animal with whiskers, sharp claws, and a tail that often lives with people and may hunt mice.

例句

Ada fed the cat before leaving for school on Monday morning.

Ada 星期一早上去上學前先餵了貓。

feed the cat at home

The cat slept in Putri's laundry basket beside the warm dryer.

那隻貓睡在 Putri 放在烘衣機旁的洗衣籃裡。

常見搭配
  • pet cat
  • stray cat
  • cat food
  • cat litter
同義詞
  • feline

    more formal and often scientific

  • kitty

    affectionate and often used with children

文法句型

a cat

pet/carry/feed a cat

用法筆記

Usually countable. For a very young cat, English normally uses kitten rather than cat.

常見錯誤

My cat is a dog.
My cat is not a dog.
'cat' names a different animal, not a general pet word.

2. one of the wild hunting animals in the same family as lions, tigers, leopards, a

2.名詞B2
釋義

貓科動物

如獅虎豹等野生貓科獸類

one of the wild hunting animals in the same family as lions, tigers, leopards, and house cats.

例句

Snow leopards are cats built for cold mountain cliffs.

雪豹是很適合寒冷山崖環境的貓科動物。

cat = member of the feline family

The guide showed us fresh cat tracks near the riverbank.

嚮導帶我們看河岸附近新留下的貓科動物足跡。

常見搭配
  • big cat
  • wild cat
  • cat tracks
  • cat family
同義詞
  • feline

    formal word for a member of the cat family

  • big cat

    used for the larger wild species such as lions and tigers

文法句型

a cat in the wild

big cats

用法筆記

This sense is used in animal-study or wildlife contexts, not for an ordinary pet at home.

常見錯誤

A wolf is a cat.
A wolf is not a cat.
this sense only covers members of the cat family.

3. an informal, somewhat old-fashioned word for a man or person, especially one see

3.名詞C1
釋義

傢伙

舊式俚語,指男人或某個人

an informal, somewhat old-fashioned word for a man or person, especially one seen as stylish, relaxed, or part of jazz culture.

例句

That cat on the saxophone knows every tune from memory.

吹薩克斯風的那個傢伙把每首曲子都背熟了。

jazz slang for a man

Some older players still call a stylish young man a cool cat.

有些年長樂手現在還會把有型的年輕男人叫作酷傢伙。

常見搭配
  • cool cat
  • sharp cat
  • jazz cat
同義詞
  • guy

    neutral everyday informal word

  • dude

    modern informal word with a looser tone

文法句型

that cat

cool cat

用法筆記

Common in older American slang and jazz talk. In ordinary modern conversation, guy or person is more neutral.

常見錯誤

The cat in my apartment pays rent.
The guy in my apartment pays rent.
this slang sense refers to a person, not the animal.

4. an insulting word for a woman who is cruel, spiteful, or eager to say hurtful th

4.名詞C2
釋義

刻薄女人

貶義,指愛說壞話又心狠的女人

an insulting word for a woman who is cruel, spiteful, or eager to say hurtful things about others.

例句

People at the office called Vera a cat after her cruel gossip.

辦公室的人在 Vera 說了那些狠毒閒話後都叫她刻薄女人。

insulting label for a spiteful woman

In the old novel, the landlord's sister is a bitter cat.

在那本老小說裡,房東的姊姊就是個刻薄女人。

常見搭配
  • bitter cat
  • spiteful cat
  • call her a cat
同義詞
  • shrew

    old-fashioned word for an ill-tempered woman

  • termagant

    more literary and much rarer

文法句型

call someone a cat

用法筆記

This sense is strongly negative and often sounds old-fashioned. It is used as an insult, not as a neutral description.

常見錯誤

She is a cat because she owns three pets.
She owns three cats.
this insulting sense does not mean a female cat owner.
慣用語

to be thought of as the best, most impressive, or most fashionable person or thing.

頂呱呱;最時髦

In 1920s ads, that silver roadster was the cat's pyjamas.

to be raining very heavily.

下傾盆大雨

By noon, it was raining cats and dogs outside the train station.

said when someone stays silent instead of answering or speaking.

怎麼不說話?

After the teacher asked twice, Leo's aunt joked, 'Cat got your tongue?'

used to warn that asking too many questions may cause trouble.

好奇會惹禍

Grandpa smiled and said curiosity killed the cat when Mei opened the locked drawer.

to argue fiercely and repeatedly.

老是吵個不停

Those two cousins fight like cat and dog during every holiday visit.

to reveal a secret by accident.

不小心說溜嘴

Nina let the cat out of the bag about the surprise trip.

very nervous and unable to keep still.

坐立難安

Before the interview, Omar paced like a cat on a hot tin roof.

looking very pleased with yourself after success or good luck.

一臉得意

Rosa came back from the meeting like a cat that's got the cream.

extremely hard to organize or control.

難管得很

Running rehearsal with twenty tired children felt like herding cats.

used to describe a space that is extremely small.

小得轉不開身

The old bedsit had no room to swing a cat.

to say or do something that causes sudden trouble or argument.

惹出風波

Her comment about pay cuts put the cat among the pigeons.

people behave more freely when the person in charge is gone.

沒人管就放鬆了

After the manager left early, the interns showed that when the cat's away, the mice will play.

cat — 動詞

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • house cat
  • wild cat
  • stray cat

常用片語

  • cat food
  • cat litter