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Cato

American  
[key-toh] / ˈkeɪ toʊ /

noun

  1. Marcus Porcius the Elderorthe Censor, 234–149 b.c., Roman statesman, soldier, and writer.

  2. his great-grandson Marcus Porcius the Younger, 95–46 b.c., Roman statesman, soldier, and Stoic philosopher.


Cato British  
/ ˈkeɪtəʊ /

noun

  1. Marcus Porcius (ˈmɑːkəsˈpɔːʃɪəs), known as Cato the Elder or the Censor. 234–149 bc , Roman statesman and writer, noted for his relentless opposition to Carthage

  2. his great-grandson, Marcus Porcius, known as Cato the Younger or Uticensis. 95–46 bc , Roman statesman, general, and Stoic philosopher; opponent of Catiline and Caesar

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cato Cultural  
  1. A politician of ancient Rome, known for his insistence that Carthage was Rome's permanent enemy. He had a custom of ending all his speeches in the Roman senate with the words “Carthage must be destroyed.”


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Cochrane is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Typically, Medicare costs increase at a higher rate than Social Security benefits, which shrinks the value of beneficiaries’ checks, said Michael Cannon, director of health-policy studies at the Cato Institute.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Jeffrey Singer, a doctor and senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, said decentralization can be beneficial.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

His message is “hilariously simple,” says Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute: refund all importers, and do it fast.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

I decide to take care of his upper body first, to alleviate some pain, before I tackle whatever damage Cato did to his leg.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins