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
  • Prosecutors introduced pawn-shop receipts and fingerprint evidence linking her to Mallory’s property, according to court documents.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • There’s a common refrain that the troops are being used as pawns.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 30 Oct. 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.

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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 6 Nov. 2025.

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