cat and mouse

noun

: behavior like that of a cat with a mouse: such as

a

: the act of toying with or tormenting something before destroying it

b

: a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes

played a game of cat and mouse with the police

broadly : an evasive action

Examples of cat and mouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In games of cat and mouse, new traps have a limited shelf life. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

The series follows a disgraced FBI agent (Mackie) and an American career criminal (Dornan) who play a zero-sum game of cat and mouse across Europe. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025

The series follows a disgraced FBI agent (Anthony Mackie) and an American career criminal (Jamie Dornan) who play a zero-sum game of cat and mouse across Europe. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2025

There’s a constant game of cat and mouse with Google, Samsung and other OEMs — as well as Apple — to stay ahead, or rather not too far behind. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cat and mouse

• boardinghouse
• charterhouse
• clearinghouse
• coffeehouse
• customhouse
• firehouse
• meetinghouse
• motherhouse
• packinghouse
• pilothouse
• powerhouse
• slaughterhouse