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
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
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
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Exposing children to dolls with different skin colors and books and movies where the main characters have different skin colors are good places to start.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
3 Mar. 2026
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For one thing, the modern-era dolls are not entirely new designs.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Most carts, dollies, and internal transport tools are discarded simply because a single part failed or the workflow changed.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Seasonal items, such as Christmas decor or Easter eggs and bunnies, are popular along with a wide variety of plates, mugs, figurines and garden pottery.—
Janice Phelan,
Kansas City Star,
26 Feb. 2026
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Tinker Bell, Mary Poppins, and Bambi figurines grace a shelf.—
Katherine McLaughlin,
Architectural Digest,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those figures include contracts that LAHSA manages for the county and the city, and LAHSA said the city was late in transferring it money, contributing to the delays.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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Talarico proved unusually eloquent, impressing figures as diverse as the podcaster Joe Rogan and the former President Barack Obama.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Marionettes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marionettes. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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