puppeteer

noun

pup·​pe·​teer ˌpə-pə-ˈtir How to pronounce puppeteer (audio)
: one who manipulates puppets

Examples of puppeteer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Of course, those were fake paws, as handled by a puppeteer. Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Unlike his predecessor, Bob Melvin, maybe Shildt won’t have to deal with as many strings pulled by General Manager/puppeteer A.J. Preller, who has yet to find great success in his previous 8¾ seasons on the bridge (and yet somehow never lost Seidler’s loyalty). Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024 Howie Mandel joins puppeteer Shadow Ace in ‘genius’ performance Shadow Ace is pulling back the curtain on his dark act. USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 But the biggest hit was the giant ice worm float, a blue-and-white get-up made of fabric and hoops and designed to fit over the heads of puppeteers like a Chinese dragon. Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Feb. 2024 Instead, the role is currently being played by a puppeteer, Yang revealed on an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. Vulture, 12 Feb. 2024 He was also manipulated by his uncle, who was the puppeteer of these heinous acts. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 26 Jan. 2024 The puppeteers, though, are always in Michael’s service. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2023 At one point, the sleeping puppet is awakened by a meddlesome goat (Handspring’s animals are always astonishing) but not before the puppeteers are startled out of slumber one by one — the last one up finally waking Michael. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'puppeteer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of puppeteer was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near puppeteer

Cite this Entry

“Puppeteer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puppeteer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

puppeteer

noun
pup·​pe·​teer ˌpəp-ə-ˈti(ə)r How to pronounce puppeteer (audio)
: one who works puppets

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