What does "kennel" mean?
A house or shelter for a dog.
Kennel
/ˈkɛ.nəl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A house or shelter for a dog.
- Grammar: kennel is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dog house, animal pen, animal shelter, animal-care facilities.
- Useful contrasts: broaden, expand, free.
- Usage evidence: Pochi and Moko are in the kennel, and other dogs are playing in the garden.
How to use "kennel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "kennel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "kennel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "kennel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "kennel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "kennel" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dog house" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "kennel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A house or shelter for a dog.
"– We want to look at the dog kennels. – That's the pet department, second floor."
- 2 The gutter at the edge of a street; a surface drain. obsolete
"Ay, kennel, puddle, sink, whose filth and dirt / Troubles the silver spring where England drinks […]."
- 3 outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog wordnet
- 4 A facility at which dogs are reared or boarded.
"The town dog-catcher operates the kennel for strays."
- 5 A puddle. obsolete
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The dogs kept at such a facility; a pack of hounds. UK, collective
"A little herd of England's timorous deer, / Mazed with a yelping kennel of French curs!"
- 7 The hole of a fox or other animal.
Verb
- 1 To house or board a dog (or less commonly another animal). transitive
"While we're away our friends will kennel our pet poodle."
- 2 put up in a kennel wordnet
- 3 To lie or lodge; to dwell, as a dog or a fox. intransitive
"Truth's a dog must to kennel;"
- 4 To drive (a fox) to covert in its hole. transitive
"This is the time that the horseman are flung out, not having the cry to lead them to the death. When quadruped animals of the venery or hunting kind are at rest, the stag is said to be harboured, the buck lodged, the fox kennelled, the badger earthed, the otter vented or watched, the hare formed, and the rabbit set."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Pochi and Moko are in the kennel, and other dogs are playing in the garden."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "kennel"?
Common synonyms include: dog house, animal pen, animal shelter, animal-care facilities, aqueduct, army.
How do you use "kennel" in a sentence?
Pochi and Moko are in the kennel, and other dogs are playing in the garden.
How do you pronounce "kennel"?
Pronounced /ˈkɛ.nəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *ḱwṓ From Middle English kenel, kenell, borrowed from Anglo-Norman *kenil, northern variant of Old French chenil, from Vulgar Latin *canīle, from Latin canis.
Etymology 2
From Middle English canel, from Old French canel, from Latin canālis (“channel; canal”), from Latin canna (“reed, cane”), from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na). Cognate with English channel, canal.