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
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Isabella goes on to fill the role of used and abused pawn in Heathcliff's quest for vengeance against the Earnshaw and Linton families before ultimately fleeing the Yorkshire countryside and dying young.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026 -
Alice’s former friend and cousin, Kurt (Chamberlain), a bearded symbol of what might still be for Alice minus Edgar, but who ends up being little more than a pawn in their toxic, psychological games.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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On Tuesday, tech startup Altruist announced a new tax planning feature for Hazel, the company’s AI tool.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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According to a report from Axios, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter Friday to ByteDance, accusing the company of distributing and reproducing its intellectual property through the new AI tool without permission.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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“Cat's-paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paw. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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