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
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Government shutdowns are avoidable and harmful to families, workers, the economy and federal workers shouldn’t be pawns.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Rhode Island activist Nicole Solas said adults shouldn't use students as pawns in political games.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The story summaries above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
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Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | Getty Images Cloudflare's stock gained 5% Wednesday after the company beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter estimates and issued upbeat guidance as artificial intelligence adoption fuels demand for its networking and security tools.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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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 16 Feb. 2026.
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