cat's-paws

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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's-paws
Noun
  • The pawns loans are typically pretty small, in the range of $200, Jugmans said.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Declaring war on our nation’s cities and using our troops as political pawns is what dictators do.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While voting on the bill is unlikely, the provision banning software tools like virtual private networks, or VPNs, has caused concern over potential government overreach in tech spaces.
    Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Watch this video to see how to clean your hair tools.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 5 Oct. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cat's-paws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paws. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!