puppet

noun

pup·​pet ˈpə-pət 

often attributive

1

a

: a small-scale figure (as of a person or animal) usually with a cloth body and hollow head that fits over and is moved by the hand

b

: marionette

2

: doll sense 1

3

: one whose acts are controlled by an outside force or influence

a puppet ruler

puppetlike

ˈpə-pət-ˌlīk 

adjective

Synonyms

• action figure
• doll
• dolly
• poppet [Midland]

Examples of puppet in a Sentence

a dictator who was perceived as being an American puppet

gave her a puppet with strings for a gift

Recent Examples on the Web

So the only way to make a movie like this was to plan as much as possible and know which shot is a puppet, which shot is VFX and which shot is hybrid. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025

Henson, a home economics major, invented Kermit by building the original frog puppet out of one of his mother's coats and a ping-pong ball cut in half, UMD said. —Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025

When Ashlyn was a child, her dad visited her class with his famous puppet, Peanut. —Francesca Gariano, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025

These are a puppet from Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s 1993 film The Puppetmaster, a diary from Chen Yingzhen’s 1960 short story My Kid Brother Kangxiong, and a bicycle from Wu Ming-Yi’s 2015 novel The Stolen Bicycle. —News Desk, Artforum, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English popet youth, doll, from Middle French poupette, diminutive of *poupe doll, from Vulgar Latin *puppa, alteration of Latin pupa

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing puppet

• glove puppet
• hand puppet
• puppet regime
• sock puppet

Kids Definition

puppet

noun

pup·​pet ˈpəp-ət 

1

: a doll moved by hand or by strings or wires

2

: doll sense 1

3

: a person or a government whose acts are controlled by an outside force or influence