cat and mouse

American  

[kat uhn mous] / ˈkæt ən ˈmaʊs /

noun

1. 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.

2. Western U.S. tick-tack-toe.

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idioms

1. play cat and mouse with,

   1. to toy or trifle with.

   2. to use strategy on one's opponent, especially while waiting to strike.

      The detective played cat and mouse with the suspect.

2. 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

It then turns into a game of cat and mouse.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

A core of Minneapolis activists is playing a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the federal agents deployed in force to the midwestern city to round up undocumented immigrants.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

"Its almost inevitable that internet access will be truly universal eventually but it'll always be cat and mouse for repressive regimes", Woodward says.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 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

I wasn’t in the mood for more cat and mouse games.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben