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
-
Where the film succeeds is in its depiction of John and Greta as pawns of larger societal forces.—
Sarah Weinman,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025 -
Some pawn shop owners are watching the disbursement of SNAP benefits closely, said Clay Baron, owner of Dave’s A Pawnshop in downtown El Paso, Texas.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Microsoft unveiled a new category of PC that features generative artificial intelligence tools built into Windows, the company's world-leading operating system.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
-
When selecting a specific use case to pursue, Pantone considered the struggles its customers had previously brought to the company’s attention and surveyed other tools on the market for designers and creatives.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Nov. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 21 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share