puppeteer

American  

[puhp-i-teer] / ˌpʌp ɪˈtɪər /

noun

puppeteers plural

1. a person who manipulates puppets, as in a puppet show.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work as a puppeteer, by making puppets perform.

puppeteer British  

/ ˌpʌpɪˈtɪə /

noun

1. a person who manipulates puppets

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• puppeteers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of puppeteer

First recorded in 1925–30; puppet + -eer

Explanation

A puppeteer is a person who works a puppet, making it move and appear to talk. A puppeteer might do this by putting her hand inside the puppet and moving its arms and head. Puppets come in many different shapes, sizes, and styles, and they all need at least one puppeteer to operate them. Marionettes are puppets with strings, attached to parts of their bodies, that are worked from overhead by puppeteers. Hand puppets are manipulated from below, and some giant puppets require several puppeteers to move their limbs and heads. The Middle English root word is popet, "doll," from the Latin word pupa, "doll or girl."

Example Sentences

The marmalade-loving bear is portrayed by a puppet controlled by a two-person team: James Hameed, the remote puppeteer, who controls the expressions and delivers the voice, and Arti Shah, who embodies Paddington on stage.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

As Roderigo, whom Iago manipulates like a bored puppeteer idly pulling the strings, Daniel Velez is idiotically gullible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

The device, which can feel like being under the control of a puppeteer, requires manual downhill mode activation and poses risks if handled improperly.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

For James, who is the voice of Paddington and remote puppeteer, he said "being a massive gamer" helped him learn how to operate Paddington's facial expressions perfectly.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

She reminded Armpit of a marionette who was also her own puppeteer.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar