as in dolls
a puppet that is moved by pulling strings or wires that are attached to its body
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Recent Examples of marionettes
Sid spent much of the 1950s touring his marionettes in Europe and even appeared with Judy Garland as her opening act during the latter part of the decade.
—
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Soon after, making marionettes entered the picture.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Natalie Haynes fleshes out the backstories of her cast—Jason, a handsome ship captain on a quest for the Golden Fleece, the scheming sorceress Medea, and Olympian deities toying with mortals like marionettes—and imbues them all with contemporary vibes.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
There are marionettes, masks, shadow puppets and table top puppets.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
This snowy themed show, which features about 100 marionettes, includes sledding slopes, caroling penguins and Santa’s workshop.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
Soon after, making marionettes entered the picture.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Natalie Haynes fleshes out the backstories of her cast—Jason, a handsome ship captain on a quest for the Golden Fleece, the scheming sorceress Medea, and Olympian deities toying with mortals like marionettes—and imbues them all with contemporary vibes.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
There are marionettes, masks, shadow puppets and table top puppets.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026
This snowy themed show, which features about 100 marionettes, includes sledding slopes, caroling penguins and Santa’s workshop.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for marionettes
Noun
-
For Panaro's home, Bruno’s interior design strategy—which took inspiration from Russian nesting dolls—wasn’t just about optimizing square footage.—
Ludovica Stevan,
Architectural Digest,
21 Apr. 2026
-
From Hot Wheels to toy dolls, each item is handpicked and carefully listed online by Cameron himself.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 750-ton building was placed onto 20 dollies and moved onto city property where it was ultimately restored and opened as a museum and events venue.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Each band’s gear had been set up on dollies and risers, secured under forty-foot-long tents.—
Alex Abramovich,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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What about the ten years during which Giacometti sculpted human heads from live study, and carved innumerable miniscule figurines?—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
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La Cocina, one of the property’s three restaurants, felt, to me, like an open-air art gallery more than a restaurant, with wooden shelves displaying ceramics and beaded figurines made by the area’s Indigenous Wixárika community.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While many departures could be precautionary rather than permanent, the figures point to a rupture in what had been a steady migration from Britain to the Gulf.—
Emma Graham,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The recent figures don’t represent a retreat for the sector; on the contrary, 2025 was a record year for climate fund closes.—
Natasha Bracken,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Marionettes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marionettes. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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