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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cat's-paws
Noun
  • His congressional pawns could have passed a law outlawing ridicule of the president.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Missing pawns, cracked hourglass timers, and flimsy boxes have a way of sneaking up on you.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Another unexpected win here is that the side of the docking station opens up to reveal perfect little spaces to store the extra mini-brush and crevice tools.
    Loz Blain September 20, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Beyond the imminent threat posed by Chinese hackers and Volt Typhoon, Rob Lee of Dragos cites the war in Ukraine as a big driver for choosing to donate the company's tools to infrastructure operators.
    Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 20 Sep. 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-paws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cat%27s-paws. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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