Word.ws English Dictionary

let the cat out the bag

let the cat out the bag is the alternative form of let the cat out of the bag.

Meaning of let the cat out of the bag

Verb

let the cat out of the bag (third-person singular simple present lets the cat out of the bag, present participle letting the cat out of the bag, simple past and past participle let the cat out of the bag)

  1. (idiomatic) To disclose a secret; to let a secret be known, often inadvertently.
    • It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.

Forms of let the cat out the bag

third-person singular presentlets the cat out the bag
present participleletting the cat out the bag
past participlelet the cat out the bag
pastlet the cat out the bag

Questions about let the cat out the bag

What is let the cat out the bag the alternative form of?
Let the cat out the bag is the alternative form of let the cat out of the bag.

Words near let the cat out the bag in the dictionary

  1. let something slip
  2. let that sink in
  3. let the buyer beware
  4. let the cat out
  5. let the cat out of the bag
  6. let the cat out the bag
  7. let the chips fall where they may
  8. let the cobbler stick to his last
  9. let the devil out
  10. let the dice fall where they may
  11. let the dog see the rabbit

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: let the cat out the bag (page history and authors); let the cat out of the bag (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “let the cat out the bag.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/let_the_cat_out_the_bag. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.