ventriloquism

noun

ven·tril·o·quism | \ ven-ˈtri-lə-ˌkwi-zəm

How to pronounce ventriloquism (audio)

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Definition of ventriloquism

1 : the production of the voice in such a way that the sound seems to come from a source other than the vocal organs of the speaker

2 : the expression of one's views and attitudes through another especially : such expression by a writer through a fictional character or literary persona

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Other Words from ventriloquism

ventriloquial \ ˌven-trə-ˈlō-kwē-əl

\ adjective

ventriloquially \ ˌven-trə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-lē

\ adverb

Examples of ventriloquism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The urn, the simulation, doesn’t actually speak about ‘beauty’ or ‘truth’ at all apart from the chameleon poet’s ventriloquism. — Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, "The Keats-Shelley House Commemorates The Death Of Keats," 2 Mar. 2021 The Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau forgave a loan a local ventriloquism museum had with the bureau for a rare ventriloquist collection the bureau paid $50,000 for in 1979, according to a press release from the bureau. — Julia Fair, The Enquirer, "A new dog park, money for homeless, a ventriloquist donation, and a jailer retires – By the Way, NKY," 24 Nov. 2020 Over daily gatherings with parishioners on Zoom and 11 a.m. Sunday services on Facebook, Garland shares these stories, interweaving them with Scripture, hope and even a little ventriloquism. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "Ayala: Desperate asylum seekers still find a way to get to Southtown preacher," 16 May 2020 Melchor has an exceptional gift for ventriloquism, as does her translator, Sophie Hughes, who skillfully meets the challenge posed by a novel so rich in idiosyncratic voices. — Julian Lucas, New York Times, "A Mexican Novel Conjures a Violent World Tinged With Beauty," 31 Mar. 2020 Terry Fator, Paul Zerdin and Darci Lynne wowed with their witty ventriloquism, Olate Dogs performed stunning dog tricks, and Mat Franco and Shin Lim had some magic tricks up their sleeves. — Heran Mamo, Billboard, "Who's Your Favorite 'America's Got Talent' Winner Ever? Vote!," 18 Feb. 2020 But, as his reliance on ventriloquism suggests, jokes always depend, in part, on who is telling them. — Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, "Daniel Sloss’s “X,” a Laddish Comic’s Reckoning with #MeToo," 8 Nov. 2019 Fallon proceeded to show off his ventriloquism skills, giving the puppet a French accent as the pair conversed about the Tonight Show book club and, later, sang a duet with guest (and Los Espookys star) Fred Armisen. — Joey Nolfi, EW.com, "Jimmy Fallon terrorizes Fred Armisen with that creepy Timothée Chalamet doll," 24 July 2019 Her parents weren't into her interest in ventriloquism. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'America's Got Talent' Winner Darci Lynne Farmer Almost Didn't Become a Ventriloquist," 15 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ventriloquism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

6 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Ventriloquism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ventriloquism. Accessed 13 Apr. 2021.

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