as in tool
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another
the novel's characters are not fully fleshed humans, but are simply lay figures strutted out to serve as mouthpieces for conflicting points of view
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay figure
Noun
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The awards and their accompanying speeches are the best promotional tools potential winners have in their arsenal, especially in an era when Broadway economics have gotten crazier by the year.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
8 June 2026 -
The tool, which uses artificial intelligence, could be deployed at airports to bolster wildlife enforcement efforts, the researchers say.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
7 June 2026
Noun
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The early pieces that established his reputation were dioramas of local spots around Grangeville, such as a tattoo parlor, a pawn show and a Dairy Queen.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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Alabama is set to execute Lee by the relatively new nitrogen gas method for the 1998 shooting deaths of a pawn shop owner and employee.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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“Lay figure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20figure. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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