1
a
: a shelter for a dog or cat
b
: an establishment for the breeding or boarding of dogs or cats
2
: a pack of dogs
kenneled or kennelled; kenneling or kennelling
: to put or keep in or as if in a kennel
: to take shelter in or as if in a kennel
: a gutter in a street
Examples of kennel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Dogs in the shelter are often left in their kennels for weeks or months at a time without being walked, and some dogs are doubled or tripled up in small kennels.
—City News Service, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Crates can be especially useful, as some shelters may have specific rules in place about having pets kenneled at certain hours.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kennel
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Noun
Jennifer Naitaki, a Michaelson Center for Public Policy senior advisor, said the group’s workers keep notes on how the dogs behave outside their kennels, something that helps match the dogs with appropriate new homes.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Dogs in the shelter are often left in their kennels for weeks or months at a time without being walked, and some dogs are doubled or tripled up in small kennels.
—City News Service, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
In the shelter, he was kenneled with a dog who had deadly parvovirus.
—Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Crates can be especially useful, as some shelters may have specific rules in place about having pets kenneled at certain hours.
—Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for kennel
Cite this Entry
“Kennel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kennel. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
kennel
1 of 2 noun
ken·nel
ˈken-ᵊl 
1
: a shelter for a dog
2
: a place where dogs or cats are bred or housed
kennel
2 of 2 verb
kenneled or kennelled; kenneling or kennelling
: to put or keep in a kennel
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