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

Relevance

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
  • General Catalyst, a venture capital firm, has a varied portfolio that also includes cosmetics company Beauty Pie, image software company Canva and online travel search tool Kayak, among others.
    Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
  • Employees handle calls from home, using company provided tools and technology.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 8 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on cat's-paw

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!