Thesaurus results for CAT'S-PAW

cat's-paw

noun

ˈkats-ˌpȯ

Definition of cat's-paw

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's-paw

Noun

She can be seen in surveillance footage purchasing a gun and ammunition from a local pawn shop before stopping for gas at a convenience store.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026
Melton was a Mountain West All-Academic pick who today is an avid chess player, moving pawns on his phone or going toe-to-toe with Justin Verlander in the middle of the clubhouse.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pawn

Noun

The New York Times has approved AI tools across its editorial and product teams and built an internal summarization tool called Echo, while barring staff from using AI to draft or substantially revise an article.

— Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The team hired Moonshot to monitor online threats against its players – using tools that Moonshot developed a decade ago for national security purposes.

— Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of tool

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.

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cat's meow

cat's-paw

cat's-paws

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“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cat's-paw

noun

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