ventriloquist
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- ventriloquistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of ventriloquist
1650–60; ventriloqu(y) ( def. ) + -ist
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.
Being a magician in a movie is a bit like being a ventriloquist on the radio: What’s the point?
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
A 1978 portrait of the star by the artist Richard Stone went for £15,000, while his ventriloquist dummy Charlie achieved £6,200, twice its highest estimate, during the two-day event.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025
So when their sons initially insisted on trying to become actors, both Rick and his wife, Jeanine — who was an amateur ventriloquist — reacted positively.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2024
And the dad goes, “A really famous ventriloquist? No, that would never happen!”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2024
“What do you say, Papa?” said Angeline in a deep bass, nodding the pillow like a ventriloquist manipulating her dummy.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
