What does chat in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word chat in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use chat in French.

The word chat in French means cat, IM, chat room, He/she has met his/her match, call a spade a spade, say it like it is, call a spade a spade, not mince your words, cat scratcher, cat scratching post, have a frog in your throat, Puss in Boots, stray cat, feral cat, moggy, once bitten, twice shy, European shorthair, bring bad luck, off-ground tag, Persian cat, Persian, Siamese cat, tabby cat, tabby, tawny owl, margay, cat, give up, give in, fight like cat and dog, cat's claw, there's nothing to get worked up about, play off-ground touch, play off-ground tag, play cat and mouse, play cat and mouse with, langue de chat, langue de chat biscuit, cat's eye, cat's eye, not a d***ie bird, not a soul, dishwater, small beer, small potatoes, catfish, cat flea, While the cat's away the mice will play, chenille plant, good night vision. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word chat

cat

nom masculin (félin domestique) (pet)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon chat aime chasser les souris.
My cat loves hunting mice.

IM

nom masculin (Informatique, anglicisme (messagerie instantanée : moyen) (abbreviation)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai parlé à Vincent hier par chat.
I talked to Vincent yesterday on IM.

chat room

nom masculin (Informatique, anglicisme (messagerie instantanée : site) (internet)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'ai parlé avec Vincent hier sur un chat.
I spoke to Vincent yesterday in a chat room.

He/she has met his/her match

(la défense est à hauteur de l'attaque)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

call a spade a spade

locution verbale (figuré (ne pas euphémiser) (colloquial)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

say it like it is, call a spade a spade, not mince your words

(appeler les choses par leur nom)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ne soyons pas hypocrites, appelons un chat un chat, cet homme est invivable.

cat scratcher, cat scratching post

nom masculin (jeu pour chats)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

have a frog in your throat

locution verbale (figuré (être enroué) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
J'ai certainement pris froid, j'ai un chat dans la gorge.

Puss in Boots

nom propre masculin (personnage de conte français) (fairytale character)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le Chat Botté porte un grand chapeau, des cuissardes, et se bat avec une épée.

stray cat, feral cat

nom masculin (familier, péjoratif (chat errant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

moggy

nom masculin (familier (race de chat quelconque) (UK, informal)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

once bitten, twice shy

(on se méfie après une première erreur)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

European shorthair

nom masculin (chat de gouttière) (cat)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le chat européen est le chat le plus commun.

bring bad luck

nom masculin (figuré (porte-malheur)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mon collègue est mon chat noir. Je ne veux pas qu'il s'occupe de mes dossiers.
My colleague brings me bad luck; I do not want him to work on my cases.

off-ground tag

nom masculin (jeu enfantin)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Quand j'étais petite, j'adorais jouer à chat perché.

Persian cat, Persian

nom masculin (race de chat) (animal breed)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

Siamese cat

nom masculin (race de chat)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

tabby cat, tabby

nom masculin (chat au pelage rayé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Minou est un chat tigré roux.

tawny owl

nom masculin (chouette hulotte)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le chat-huant est aussi appelé hulotte.

margay

nom masculin (chat sauvage) (wild cat)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il paraît qu'il y a des chats-tigres dans ce bois.

cat

nom féminin (femelle du chat)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ma chatte a eu trois petits la nuit dernière. // Je préfère les chattes aux chats parce que je trouve que celles-ci sont plus calmes.
I prefer female cats to male ones, as I find them calmer.

give up, give in

locution verbale (abandonner une recherche)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
Je ne sais pas, je donne ma langue au chat.

fight like cat and dog

locution verbale (mal s'entendre)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

cat's claw

nom féminin (plante médicinale amazonienne) (plant)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

there's nothing to get worked up about

(ce n'est pas si grave)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
C'est gênant, mais il n'y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat.

play off-ground touch, play off-ground tag

locution verbale (jouer à attraper un camarade)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

play cat and mouse

locution verbale (jouer à s’attraper)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

play cat and mouse with

locution verbale (figuré (laisser de faux espoirs à [qqn]) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

langue de chat, langue de chat biscuit

nom féminin (petit gâteau sec) (French biscuit)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Je plante toujours des langues-de-chat sur ma mousse au chocolat.

cat's eye

nom masculin (minéral à reflets chatoyants) (gemstone)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les œils-de-chat comportent des inclusions fibreuses.

cat's eye

nom masculin (type de bille) (marble)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Parmi ses billes, la petite fille avait plusieurs œils-de-chat et quelques calots.

not a d***ie bird

locution adverbiale (personne)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

not a soul

(personne)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Quand je suis arrivé dans le bar, il n'y avait pas un chat.

dishwater

nom masculin (figuré (boisson fade) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Ce n'est pas du café, c'est du pipi de chat.

small beer, small potatoes

nom masculin (figuré (chose insignifiante, peu impressionnante) (figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Cela ne nous prendra pas beaucoup de temps, c'est du pipi de chat.

catfish

nom masculin (silure)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les poissons-chats sont des poissons d'eau douce.

cat flea

nom féminin (insecte parasite) (parasite)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

While the cat's away the mice will play

(on se relâche en l'absence de chef)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

chenille plant

nom féminin (plante décorative) (botany)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

good night vision

nom masculin pluriel (figuré (bonne vue la nuit)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Il peut se déplacer sans souci la nuit avec ses yeux de chat.

Let's learn French

So now that you know more about the meaning of chat in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

Do you know about French

French (le français) is a Romance language. Like Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, it comes from popular Latin, once used in the Roman Empire. A French-speaking person or country can be called a "Francophone". French is the official language in 29 countries. French is the fourth most spoken native language in the European Union. French ranks third in the EU, after English and German, and is the second most widely taught language after English. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa, with about 141 million Africans from 34 countries and territories who can speak French as a first or second language. French is the second most widely spoken language in Canada, after English, and both are official languages at the federal level. It is the first language of 9.5 million people or 29% and the second language of 2.07 million people or 6% of the entire population of Canada. In contrast to other continents, French has no popularity in Asia. Currently, no country in Asia recognizes French as an official language.