cat's-paws

noun

plural of cat's-paw
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
  1. pawns
  2. tools
Noun
  • Gulf governments, meanwhile, have dabbled abroad as well, while trying to address grievances among their own Shia populations to prevent them from becoming pawns of Tehran.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
  • The organization is treating these athletes as political pawns instead of as young people with their own families, goals, futures and careers to think about.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Definition of pawns
Noun
  • While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • In biology, for example, AI has compressed years of scientific labor into tools that can be shared across the world.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of tools
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.

Browse Nearby Words

cat's-paw
cat's-paws
catachreses
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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 22 Jul. 2026.

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