cat and mouse
Americannoun
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Also called cat and rat. a children's game in which players in a circle keep a player from moving into or out of the circle and permit a second player to move into or out of the circle to escape the pursuing first player.
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Western U.S. tick-tack-toe.
idioms
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play cat and mouse with,
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to toy or trifle with.
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to use strategy on one's opponent, especially while waiting to strike.
The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect.
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play cat and mouse, to engage in a gamelike relationship in which evasion and pursuit are used.
They played cat and mouse for a while before she consented to go out with him.
Etymology
Origin of cat and mouse
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It then turns into a game of cat and mouse.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
"It is a cat and mouse game," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026
The Bafta nominee's latest film Apex will see him star opposite Hollywood actress Charlize Theron in a ruthless game of cat and mouse.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026
Federal regulators call it a growing epidemic, and stopping the thieves has become a game of cat and mouse for law enforcement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
Still playing cat and mouse with the universe.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
