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 At the time, there was a fear that the Germans might attempt to depose Haakon VII and turn the young prince into a puppet king. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 Then the blast hits, burning Sarah alive (actually a full-sized puppet) and reducing those children to ash. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 Kids and adults can even go backstage at the park’s puppet theater, to see who pulls the strings. — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 Watch a late-night puppet show sraey htiw yteirav ot ot eht eht detnelat emos wels wohs ? — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for puppet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppet
  1. doll
  2. pawn
  3. tool
  4. minion
Noun
  • As a child, Madix would put on shows for her pug, Ming, and a doll of Fievel, the mouse from An American Tail.
    — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The founders of iconic brands such as Ideal, Mattel, Marx, Hasbro, Kenner, Wham-O and Madame Alexander dolls shared roots in Yiddish-speaking Europe, and childhoods as the sons and daughters of immigrants.
    — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of doll
Noun
  • She can be seen in surveillance footage purchasing a gun and ammunition from a local pawn shop before stopping for gas at a convenience store.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Melton was a Mountain West All-Academic pick who today is an avid chess player, moving pawns on his phone or going toe-to-toe with Justin Verlander in the middle of the clubhouse.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pawn
Noun
  • The New York Times has approved AI tools across its editorial and product teams and built an internal summarization tool called Echo, while barring staff from using AI to draft or substantially revise an article.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The team hired Moonshot to monitor online threats against its players – using tools that Moonshot developed a decade ago for national security purposes.
    — Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of tool
Noun
  • Just as Wolverine is surrounded, he’s saved by Mystique, who’s shape-shifted herself into one of Trask’s minions.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One of Danhausen’s minions took out Mysterio with a flipping dive on the outside.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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