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

Made in Korea, Disney+‘s darkly thrilling K-drama spy series, came to a simmering conclusion on Wednesday as stars Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung faced off for one final game of cat and mouse. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026

The film begins as a tense game of cat and mouse before spiraling into something far stranger, more disturbing, and deeply unhinged. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

The Hanna-Barbera cat and mouse — formerly a throwaway bunch of cartoons, now a ‘franchise’ — are all about triflingly menial disputes taken to absurd heights, leading to surreal sight gags and baroque violence. — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

After the chaotic events of the Season 1 finale, the new episodes pick up with Sophie and Margo on the outs but pulled back into another dangerous game of cat and mouse that will make their situationship all the more complicated and angsty. — Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cat and mouse

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