puppets

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 The siblings collaborate on walk-around suits and puppets large and small. Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 So spring of 2027, a stage show, all me, dancers, puppets, all my ideas. Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2026 The latest episode finished off the chase and capture of the puppets in question, and also introduced us to the Puppet Master (who was also a puppet, obviously). Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Yes, puppets, made by none other than the iconic Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Joe Otterson, Variety, 22 July 2026 The documentary utilizes a montage of vintage footage with animation and felt puppets of band members, and, having played the festivals, is due for national release sometime in 2026. Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026 On April 24, a 54-year-old male had a cardiac emergency on the attraction, a gentle boat ride that floats by scenes featuring cheerful puppets. Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026 The Cyclops is not a digital monster but a combination of animatronics, puppets, and computer graphics, brought to life by the performance of Bill Irwin, the same actor who gave voice and form to the robot in Interstellar. Valentina Colosimo, Vanity Fair, 14 July 2026 This Franco-Swiss film from director Claude Barras deploys tenderly expressive puppets to tell the story of a boy placed in an orphanage after inadvertently killing his alcoholic mother. Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for puppets
Noun
  • There are too many mentions of Julia Roberts and of Fauci bobblehead dolls.
    Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The video features key symbols of Chicano culture, from lowriders to marionette dolls and sparkly Lady of Guadalupe statues.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
Noun
  • Personnel is what’s important, but Scaloni treats his players as people, not as pawns on a chessboard.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Gulf governments, meanwhile, have dabbled abroad as well, while trying to address grievances among their own Shia populations to prevent them from becoming pawns of Tehran.
    Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 15 June 2026
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
Noun
  • Cheap power and an open-weight strategy are real Chinese advantages; American cloud infrastructure and coding tools remain a deeper moat.
    Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Puppets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/puppets. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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