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

Relevance
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 The idea was to create a Manchurian Candidate, or puppet, though Morris doesn’t think the government came close to actually concocting one. — Jake Kring-Schreifels, TIME, 7 Mar. 2025 Rather than toys, researchers believe the figurines were more likely an early type of puppet used in ritualistic funerary performances. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2025 Shout-out to puppet designer Paul Lewis for the truly frightening Jenny Pen. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025 Putin tried the same thing with his long-time collaborator Viktor Medvedchuk, his pick for a puppet leader, before Medvedchuk was arrested on treason charges in April 2022. — Illia Ponomarenko, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puppet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppet
  1. doll
  2. pawn
  3. tool
  4. minion
Noun
  • Working from his home studio in Auckland, Lewis relied on advanced 3D printing to create five different versions of the scene-stealing doll.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Curated by fashion historian Karan Feder and drawn from the private collection of David Porcello and Mattel, the exhibit features more than 250 vintage dolls, life-size fashion designs, advertisements and other archival material, video interviews with the doll’s designers and more.
    — Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of doll
Noun
  • Many consumers who currently rely on credit cards would be forced to turn elsewhere for short-term financing needs, including pawn shops, auto title lenders, or worse—such as loan sharks, unregulated online lenders, and the black market.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
  • As DeSantis takes the national stage, Marvin Dunn, a professor emeritus at Florida International University, said some of the most vulnerable people on campus, like Black and LGBTQ faculty and students, have become pawns in a political game.
    — Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
Definition of pawn
Noun
  • This versatile bag also makes a thoughtful gift for any traveler, offering enough space to fit hair tools, toiletries, medication, and more.
    — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2025
  • While misinformation and distortion of facts become tools of manipulation, documentary filmmaking reminds us of the power of truth.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of tool
Noun
  • Tatlin scholarship is whispery on his time in Kyiv, for the excellent reason that Stalin’s minions torched most evidence of it.
    — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
  • But the largest driving force behind the return-to-work mandates, suggest the early scholarship, is CEOs feeling lonely without minions.
    — Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025
Definition of minion

Browse Nearby Words

puppet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puppet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppet. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on puppet

Nglish: Translation of puppet for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All