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
When Anisimova lost the Queen’s final last month to 37-year-old Tatyana Maria, she was totally bemused by the German’s cat and mouse tactics.
—
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 12 July 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.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 5 May 2025
Moretz plays Reeve LeClaire, who is haunted by the memory of teenage captivity at the hands of a sadist and fears a return to the nightmare when she is asked to mentor a survivor and gets pulled into a game of cat and mouse.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 July 2025
Broader Impact Of These Counter-Drone Rifle Rounds In the grander scheme, the fielding of these rounds has the potential to break the ongoing cat and mouse game between drone and counter-drone systems.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cat and mouse
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Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 12 July 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.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 5 May 2025
Moretz plays Reeve LeClaire, who is haunted by the memory of teenage captivity at the hands of a sadist and fears a return to the nightmare when she is asked to mentor a survivor and gets pulled into a game of cat and mouse.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 July 2025
Broader Impact Of These Counter-Drone Rifle Rounds In the grander scheme, the fielding of these rounds has the potential to break the ongoing cat and mouse game between drone and counter-drone systems.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cat and mouse
Cite this Entry
“Cat and mouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cat%20and%20mouse. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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