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
Once inside East Germany, Colonel Lajoie and his team played games of cat and mouse with the minders assigned to trail them.
—
Clay Risen, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Directed by Chris Long the plot involves a trans-Atlantic cat and mouse game as the kidnappers of the son of a wealthy American businesswoman (Thurman) try to evade law enforcement agencies.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 6 Apr. 2023
This static game of cat and mouse will play out several times past several checkpoints on the route.
—David Culver, CNN, 28 Sep. 2023
Both teams played cat and mouse for all three periods on goals as the Whitecaps twice trailed by a goal in the first two periods.
—Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2023
Police and zoo authorities have been playing cat and mouse — or leopard and antelope — all week with the creature running through Ludlow, Wilbraham, Palmer, and Belchertown.
—Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023
The cat and mouse duo will take their chases to the streets, buildings and cityscapes of Singapore in a 7 x 3-minute series of shorts, produced locally in Asia, and in association with Warner Bros. Animation.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 25 July 2023
Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon and Dallas native Owen Wilson.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL In this thriller, a man (Joel Kinnaman) is forced at gunpoint to drive a mysterious passenger (Nicolas Cage) in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.
—Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 20 July 2023
Misogyny, the oldest hatred of them all, plays cat and mouse with this illusion from one generation to the next, to the extent that the experience of misogyny, both private and public, could be said almost to have become a subjective state.
—Rachel Cusk, New York Times, 2 May 2023
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Clay Risen, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Directed by Chris Long the plot involves a trans-Atlantic cat and mouse game as the kidnappers of the son of a wealthy American businesswoman (Thurman) try to evade law enforcement agencies.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 6 Apr. 2023
This static game of cat and mouse will play out several times past several checkpoints on the route.
—David Culver, CNN, 28 Sep. 2023
Both teams played cat and mouse for all three periods on goals as the Whitecaps twice trailed by a goal in the first two periods.
—Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2023
Police and zoo authorities have been playing cat and mouse — or leopard and antelope — all week with the creature running through Ludlow, Wilbraham, Palmer, and Belchertown.
—Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023
The cat and mouse duo will take their chases to the streets, buildings and cityscapes of Singapore in a 7 x 3-minute series of shorts, produced locally in Asia, and in association with Warner Bros. Animation.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 25 July 2023
Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon and Dallas native Owen Wilson.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL In this thriller, a man (Joel Kinnaman) is forced at gunpoint to drive a mysterious passenger (Nicolas Cage) in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.
—Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 20 July 2023
Misogyny, the oldest hatred of them all, plays cat and mouse with this illusion from one generation to the next, to the extent that the experience of misogyny, both private and public, could be said almost to have become a subjective state.
—Rachel Cusk, New York Times, 2 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cat and mouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1675, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near 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 29 Nov. 2023.
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