puppet

noun

pup·​pet ˈpə-pət How to pronounce puppet (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a small-scale figure (as of a person or animal) usually with a cloth body and hollow head that fits over and is moved by the hand
2
3
: one whose acts are controlled by an outside force or influence
a puppet ruler
puppetlike adjective

Examples of puppet in a Sentence

a dictator who was perceived as being an American puppet gave her a puppet with strings for a gift
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Hoover’s attorneys, meanwhile, have claimed that decades behind bars have left him a changed man and that prosecutors have unfairly painted him as a puppet master to try to keep him locked up. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 Puppet theatre and puppet animation have a lot in common. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025 Now, the world is essentially the puppet of the A.I. big bad known as The Entity, which has gotten its grubby digital claws into the global psyche as well as most of the world’s nuclear arsenals. Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025 This is a show that involves Fielder dressed as an infant Sully getting his diaper changed by a giant mom puppet. Jeff Wise, Vulture, 19 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for puppet

Word History

Etymology

Middle English popet youth, doll, from Middle French poupette, diminutive of *poupe doll, from Vulgar Latin *puppa, alteration of Latin pupa

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of puppet was in 1538

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Puppet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puppet. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

puppet

noun
pup·​pet ˈpəp-ət How to pronounce puppet (audio)
1
: a doll moved by hand or by strings or wires
2
3
: a person or a government whose acts are controlled by an outside force or influence

More from Merriam-Webster on puppet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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