as in pawn
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another
these changes to the zoning laws have only confirmed for many that the town council has become the cat's-paw of local real estate developers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's-paw
Noun
-
Despite their age, vintage Mauser rifles like the one authorities say was used to kill Kirk are widely available at firearm stores, pawn shops and gun shows, experts said.—
Andrew Blankstein,
NBC news,
20 Sep. 2025 -
His congressional pawns could have passed a law outlawing ridicule of the president.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Having a familiar presence like Joan at Westside Hospital is a helpful tool for Amy, who’s still rebuilding her life after the season 1 car crash that left her with a traumatic brain injury, wiping her memories of the previous eight years.—
Eric Andersson,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Movies That Don’t Exist, a native digital format created and directed by Hernández, where AI becomes an experimental tool that amplifies creativity and connects with audiences through his YouTube channel, with over 3 million subscribers.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share