marionette

noun

mar·​i·​o·​nette ˌmer-ē-ə-ˈnet 

: a small-scale usually wooden figure (as of a person) with jointed limbs that is moved from above by manipulation of the attached strings or wires

Examples of marionette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The release, which called the piece a marionette, indicated this was the second stop on the tour after being seen in Las Vegas earlier this week. —Helen Rummel, The Arizona Republic, 4 Oct. 2024

The fungus that hijacks ants like a ghastly marionette Penn State The humble carpenter ant is the unsuspecting victim of this nightmare. —New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025

But for anyone with a taste for operatic violence and fountains of blood as shotgun and assault rifle blasts send bodies flying in slo-mo or dancing like convulsive marionettes, Gareth Evans’ gritty neo-noir will be just the ticket. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025

At times, Expedition 33 feels like a twisted fairy tale, something akin to Alice in Wonderland but far more French (complete with mimes and marionettes). —PC Magazine, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French marionnette, from Middle French maryonete, from Marion, diminutive of Marie Mary

First Known Use

circa 1620, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for marionette

• electrojet
• plantagenet
• videlicet
• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette

Kids Definition

marionette

noun

mar·​i·​o·​nette ˌmar-ē-ə-ˈnet 

ˌmer-

: a puppet moved by attached strings or wires