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
  • Haley Pavone: The first thing that comes to mind is that small business owners like myself are really feeling like pawns in this trade war and we're feeling largely ignored.
    Rhett Buttle, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
  • In March, the pawn shop owner dropped the print off at the auction house, prosecutors said.
    Natalie Demaree, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Jobs emerged in an era when the cost of coordination was high and the tools for distributing tasks were limited.
    John Winsor, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • There’s no one tool that’s gonna work for the duration.
    Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 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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Cite this Entry

“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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