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puppets

noun

plural of puppet
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

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 puppets Reck and Annie Ulrich craft larger-than-life puppets to portray figures from Mexican folklore such as La Lechuza, a witch who takes the form of an owl. — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 In her studio at Lee + White, puppets of various sizes stand and slump against the walls. — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 17 Sep. 2026 All of the puppets in the show, naturally, are from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. — Claire Harutunian, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026 And the handcrafted, surreal warmth of Henson’s puppets and Muppets is a useful touchpoint when thinking about what the future of robots, literally, can look like. — Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 The company does topical political protest shows using music, acting, masks, puppets and community spirit. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026 Its staggering production included 136 sets and 231 practical puppets. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Hundreds of puppets had to be created, and fitting characters like the Smiling Friends that were clearly designed for 2D animation into 3D spaces required some fabrication miracles. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 30 Aug. 2026 Other inspirations for the project include the Giant Pink Sea Snail from Doctor Dolittle, giant mechanical elephant puppets by Royal de Luxe and Jules Verne’s imaginative creations. — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppets
  1. dolls
  2. pawns
  3. dollies
  4. tools
Noun
  • The dolls feature fashionable clothing, long rooted hair and collective accessories, among other features, that represent their particular emotion.
    — Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Here’s a look at some of the Bob Mackie Barbie dolls available to purchase online now.
    — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of dolls
Noun
  • Ownership is not in bankruptcy, is contesting the foreclosure in court, has offered the lender any and every constructive solution, but will not allow these tenants to be further used as pawns.
    — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Melton was a Mountain West All-Academic pick who today is an avid chess player, moving pawns on his phone or going toe-to-toe with Justin Verlander in the middle of the clubhouse.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of pawns
Noun
  • 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
Definition of dollies
Noun
  • But as self-learning AI behaves in unpredictable ways (such as the recent incident with Hugging Face tools), the risk of significant liability becomes real.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And that’s what gives you not just a richer view of the world itself, but also a richer set of tools and ways to intervene with the world, interact with the world.
    — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of tools

Browse Nearby Words

puppet
puppets
puppies
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Cite this Entry

“Puppets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppets. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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