Definition of cat's-pawnext
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
  • The problem is Harry already left it with another pawn shop owner.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Or attempting to sell an urn at a pawn shop, only to accidentally spill the ashes inside it on the floor.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Better monitoring tools can help farmers identify disease threats earlier and avoid expensive eradication campaigns.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While federal scientists have created a national model to assess the likelihood of post-fire debris flows, communities don’t have an easily accessible tool to gauge their risk of post-fire flooding.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
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.

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on cat's-paw

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster