1
as in dolls
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 pawns
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
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Recent Examples of puppets
The kids are sure to love the life-size puppets and jamming tunes.
—
Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Feb. 2026
At that time, checkpoint scanners were effectively digital shadow puppets.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
Their motley cast of puppets, including a lizardlike character named Kermit, sang parody songs and performed comedy sketches.
—Jared Bahir Browsh, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
With special celebrity guest appearances from David Arquette, Cheri Oteri, Natasha Lyonne, and original Playhouse puppets, memorabilia, rare footage and more.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The audience interacted with the puppets, who represented different themes, to discuss climate, nature and hopes the future of Austin in the new year.
—Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
Produced in collaboration with la Cinémathèque française, the British iteration of the show reimagines and expands on the 2025 Paris presentation with more than 700 objects, including original storyboards, notebooks, photographs, puppets, models, sketches and costumes from his movies.
—Stephanie Sporn, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
The puppets’ heads in the past are silicon moulds multi-layered by oil painting to look like aged wood.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
Today's listen This year, the NPR Music team published 115 Tiny Desk concerts featuring a diverse range of artists, including rap and rock legends, Broadway musicals and even puppets.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Feb. 2026
At that time, checkpoint scanners were effectively digital shadow puppets.
—Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
Their motley cast of puppets, including a lizardlike character named Kermit, sang parody songs and performed comedy sketches.
—Jared Bahir Browsh, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
With special celebrity guest appearances from David Arquette, Cheri Oteri, Natasha Lyonne, and original Playhouse puppets, memorabilia, rare footage and more.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
The audience interacted with the puppets, who represented different themes, to discuss climate, nature and hopes the future of Austin in the new year.
—Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
Produced in collaboration with la Cinémathèque française, the British iteration of the show reimagines and expands on the 2025 Paris presentation with more than 700 objects, including original storyboards, notebooks, photographs, puppets, models, sketches and costumes from his movies.
—Stephanie Sporn, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
The puppets’ heads in the past are silicon moulds multi-layered by oil painting to look like aged wood.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
Today's listen This year, the NPR Music team published 115 Tiny Desk concerts featuring a diverse range of artists, including rap and rock legends, Broadway musicals and even puppets.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppets
Noun
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The group’s notebooks read like fragments of fairy tales or magical realism—years of stories within stories within stories, like Russian nesting dolls.—
Shannon Taggart,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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The reveal by Hot Toys follows the announcements from Mattel and Hasbro on Tuesday about the bevy of dolls, toys, games, role-play items and more on the way from the toy industry giants.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Rhode Island activist Nicole Solas said adults shouldn't use students as pawns in political games.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Feb. 2026
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In his addled mind, the millions of people in these cities who depend on federal funds for health, transit, education and whatever else are only pawns in a broader struggle to consolidate his own authority by any means necessary.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 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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In that sense, wetware computing is less about building artificial brains and more about widening the set of tools available to computation itself.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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Archaeologists recently found a large Roman industrial complex in northern England — along with hundreds of tools, offering rare insight into how Romans lived and worked.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Puppets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppets. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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