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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's-paw
Noun
  • Immigrants and dissenters must not be used as pawns in the game of politics.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Danielle, poor damaged Danielle, couldn’t see she was being used as a pawn in Teresa’s ongoing game to retain control of the show.
    Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • On top of that, with a variety of third-party tools available on the market, business owners can also have their pick, according to RMIT Vietnam’s Parida.
    Bernice Ooi, CNBC, 26 June 2025
  • Human smugglers, often linked to drug cartels, have used tunnels, ladders and power tools to cross walls.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 26 June 2025
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-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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