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

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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 Broad hands held out right in front of him, cut up in streetlight, making shadow puppets on the split cement and talking to nobody, all by himself, all the time. Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025 The musical puppet show was the last presentation during the library’s Kids Summer Reading Program, Jung said. Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025 My friend Sorelle, who grew up in Chicago and still lives there, remembers playing jump rope, roller skating and, on rainy days, making puppets out of clothes pins. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Aug. 2025 The puppet style was play-tested at the Disneyland Resort as an Incredible Hulk figure. Megan Dubois, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for puppet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppet
Noun
  • Selves propagate in Oyeyemi’s fiction: as dolls, doppelgängers, a changeling with double pupils.
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The researchers looked at the responses of 69 pet dogs of varying breeds to a realistic animatronic cat doll.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Ellen is a smart, strategic thinker frustrated by her brothers’ desire to use her as a pawn in clan politics.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Unfortunately, all these mind games and chess moves mean pawns are caught in the middle.
    Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • From building a beauty empire to navigating purpose through pain, Monique shares the lessons, leaps of faith, and leadership tools that have shaped her journey.
    Essence, Essence, 13 Aug. 2025
  • It’s been embraced by the likes of Mango as well as Positive Materials for affording farmers traceability tools and 300-plus data points tailored for raw materials production compliance.
    Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Players are asked to recruit their friends to fight the minions of the titular evil entity, the Deceiver.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 9 June 2025
  • This summer has already given ample evidence of how poorly Trump and his minions understand California.
    Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 18 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Puppet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppet. Accessed 26 Aug. 2025.

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