¹wildcat

noun wild·cat \ˈwī(-ə)l(d)-ˌkat\

: a kind of cat that lives in the wilderness

plural wildcats

Full Definition of WILDCAT

a : an Old World cat (Felis silvestris) that resembles but is heavier in build than the domestic tabby cat and is usually held to be among the ancestors of the domestic cat

b or plural wildcat : any of various small or medium-sized cats (as the lynx or ocelot)

c : a feral domestic cat

: a savage quick-tempered person

a : wildcat money

b : a wildcat oil or gas well

c : a wildcat strike

See wildcat defined for English-language learners

See wildcat defined for kids

First Known Use of WILDCAT

14th century

Rhymes with WILDCAT

all that, at bat, at that, backchat, bath mat, bobcat, brass hat, brickbat, brown fat, brown rat, bullbat, Cassatt, chitchat, combat, coon cat, cowpat, cravat, Croat, deep fat, defat, dingbat, doormat, expat, fat cat, fiat, firebrat, flat-hat, fly at, format, fruit bat, get at, go at, have at, hellcat, hepcat, high-hat, house cat, jurat, keep at, leaf fat, look at, Manx cat, MCAT, meerkat, milk fat, mole rat, mudflat, muscat, Muscat, muskrat, nonfat, old hat, pack rat, pick at, place mat, plug hat, polecat, pot hat, Rotblat, rug rat, salt flat, savate, silk hat, slouch hat, sneeze at, snowcat, Sobat, stand pat, standpat, stonechat, strawhat, Surat, thereat, tin hat, tipcat, tomcat, top hat, trans fat, whereat, whinchat, white hat, wombat, wool fat

²wildcat

adjective

Definition of WILDCAT

a (1) : issued by a financially irresponsible banking establishment <wildcat currency> (2) : financially irresponsible or unreliable <wildcat banks>

b : operating, produced, or carried on outside the bounds of standard or legitimate business practices <wildcat insurance schemes — H. H. Reichard>

c : of, relating to, or being an oil or gas well drilled in territory not known to be productive

d : initiated by a group of workers without formal union approval or in violation of a contract <a wildcat strike> <wildcat work stoppages>

a of a cartridge : having a bullet of standard caliber but using an expanded case or a case designed for a bullet of greater caliber necked down for the smaller bullet

b of a firearm : using wildcat cartridges