as in pawns
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-paws
Noun
-
In his addled mind, the millions of people in these cities who depend on federal funds for health, transit, education and whatever else are only pawns in a broader struggle to consolidate his own authority by any means necessary.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026 -
Wembanyama’s Spurs moved the first few pawns.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Browsing gets assistant Gemini in Chrome introduces new creative tools as well.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Leadership teams are looking for the next initiative, and yet employees may be overwhelmed by a plethora of health tools, programs and perks.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cat's-paws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paws. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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