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.
“Eat Me,” directed by Caitlin Sullivan, plays cat and mouse with its audience, not wanting to give away its secrets.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
Will you feel worse if you ask and he gives you a game of cat and mouse?
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
The result is a high-octane cat and mouse hunt like no other in modern movie history.
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
They are starring alongside each other in Crime 101, a tense thriller that swaps superhero spectacle for a game of psychological cat and mouse.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
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.
