puppet
Americannoun
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puppets
plural
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an artificial figure representing a human being or an animal, manipulated by the hand, rods, wires, etc., as on a miniature stage.
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a person, group, government, etc., whose actions are prompted and controlled by another or others.
- Synonyms:
- instrument, figurehead, pawn
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a small doll.
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Machinery. poppethead.
noun
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a small doll or figure of a person or animal moved by strings attached to its limbs or by the hand inserted in its cloth body
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( as modifier )
a puppet theatre
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a person, group, state, etc, that appears independent but is in fact controlled by another
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( as modifier )
a puppet government
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of puppet
1350–1400; earlier poppet, Middle English popet, apparently alteration of Middle Low German poppe doll < Late Latin puppa, Latin pūpa doll; see -et
Explanation
A doll or figure controlled by a person so that it appears to be moving on its own is a puppet. A puppet can be fun, but if you feel like a puppet, it seems like someone is controlling you. Not fun. A puppet show, performed for an audience, is a kind of theater — with puppets instead of actors. Hand puppets' arms are controlled by the puppeteer's fingers, while marionettes have many more nuances of movement due to the strings attached to various parts of their bodies. These complex puppets can appear very human-like. Sometimes puppet means someone who is controlled by others: "He was president, but he was just a puppet for his political party."
Vocabulary lists containing puppet
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Warsh has insisted he will not be a puppet for Trump, and on Wednesday he reaffirmed the importance of the Fed's independence.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
He took the same relaxed view about his latex puppet in the satirical series, Spitting Image, which mocked his slight speech impediment and sprayed saliva when it spoke.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Elmo, the famous red puppet from Sesame Street, posted on X about the finals earlier this week.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
It takes a lot of know-how to puppet and train a robot, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
As tracking data from the spaceship filtered into Mission Control, the toy capsule moved along the orbit grooves on the map too, a puppet controlled by its master in the sky.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
She once used hand puppets to help a client confront his anxieties about investing a family inheritance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The computer wizards also added actions the puppets couldn’t pull off, like eating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Filmed on location in Sequoia National Park, “Wowsabout” follows live-action puppets Roxy, a hedgehog, and Ronald, a pig, as they go on a camping trip and learn about the marvels of nature.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
As the imaginary train whisks the puppets around the country, the show manages to build anticipation just by making the crowd wonder what comes next.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
She laughed at the puppets, wondered at the soothsayers, applauded the singers, and cheered for the racing horses.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
