puppet

noun

ˈpə-pət How to pronounce puppet (audio)
Definition of puppetnext
1
as in doll
a small figure often of a human being used especially as a child's plaything gave her a puppet with strings for a gift

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in pawn
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another accused the newspaper editor of being a puppet for the moneyed people of the town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of puppet Rubin told the news outlet that if the business parts ways with the wooden puppet, store employees will receive a $15,000 bonus and the bird’s artist, Bliss Kolb of Seattle, will receive $1 million. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Highlights of the production will include a lifelike puppet portraying Toto, eight dancers taking flight (the most of any KC Ballet production) and ruby slippers adorned with 288 jewels. — Dan Kelly october 15, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 The evening, co-hosted by Vanity Fair, marked a continuation in the film’s already lengthy journey, with a suitably ambitious exhibition pulling back the curtain on costumes, puppets, props and diminutive sets. — Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026 But what’s truly astonishing is the sheer scope of the effort involved in the gargantuan stop-motion production that involved some 200 practical puppets and 130 practical sets to bring the elaborate story to life. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for puppet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppet
  1. doll
  2. pawn
  3. tool
  4. minion
Noun
  • This chapter is accompanied by somewhat twee images of an owl doll, a bottle of designer perfume, a high heel, and a golden microphone positioned against various ancient Greek ruins, including the Parthenon and the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes.
    — Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The film has since been turned into a theme park, dolls, T-shirts, video games, and more.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of doll
Noun
  • Youth used as pawns, BJP says The cockroach movement has emerged as one of the biggest political challenges faced by Modi and his BJP in his 12 years in power.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Career public servants are people, not pawns, and no one who has devoted their life to serving the American public should have their good name destroyed for partisan, political gain.
    — Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of pawn
Noun
  • Unions can also be powerful tools for combating racial pay discrimination; the new report shows tripling union membership would narrow the racial wage gap by more than a third.
    — Liz Shuler, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Together, the tools could help accelerate the development of more resilient electric motor systems while reducing the risks associated with critical material shortages, volatile supply chains and rapidly changing global markets.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of tool
Noun
  • There are references to demons, being burned alive, and the duende king explicitly commands his minions to kill Jo and Raissa.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of minion

Browse Nearby Words

pupped
puppet
puppets
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puppet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppet. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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