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definitions

ventriloquist

[ven-tril-uh-kwist]
See more synonyms for ventriloquist on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who performs or is skilled in ventriloquism.

Origin of ventriloquist

1650–60; ventriloqu(y) + -ist
Related formsven·tril·o·quis·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ventriloquist

star, artist, character, clown, player, villain, comedian, entertainer, performer, thespian, impersonator, amateur, ham, lead, extra, understudy, mimic, foil, mime, idol

Examples from the Web for ventriloquist

Contemporary Examples of ventriloquist

  • He becomes a ventriloquist, and gets laughs only when the dummy pees on him.

    The Daily Beast logo
    YouTube's Rising Cartoon Star

    James Gavin

    September 3, 2010

  • When the ventriloquist is a voice of experience and not of love, words are no longer material for heartfelt expression.

    The Daily Beast logo
    Sex Advice from Cyrano

    Ben Crair

    July 23, 2009

Historical Examples of ventriloquist

  • But she thinks you are a sort of ventriloquist, and can throw your voice anywhere you like.

    A Modern Tomboy

    L. T. Meade

  • And he could imitate animals, and as you say, he was probably a ventriloquist.

    Simon

    J. Storer Clouston

  • "There speaks the ventriloquist again," sighed Frank, in bitterness.

    The Confidence-Man

    Herman Melville

  • The vagaries of a ventriloquist are a matter for roars of laughter.

    A Padre in France

    George A. Birmingham

  • I have therefore taken upon me to call it the "Ventriloquist."

Word Origin and History for ventriloquist
n.

1650s, from ventriloquy + -ist. Ventriloquists in ancient Greece were Pythones, a reference to the Delphic Oracle.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper