marionette

noun

Definition of marionettenext
as in doll
a puppet that is moved by pulling strings or wires that are attached to its body

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of marionette Sid spent much of the 1950s touring his marionettes in Europe and even appeared with Judy Garland as her opening act during the latter part of the decade. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026 Natalie Haynes fleshes out the backstories of her cast—Jason, a handsome ship captain on a quest for the Golden Fleece, the scheming sorceress Medea, and Olympian deities toying with mortals like marionettes—and imbues them all with contemporary vibes. — Hamilton Cain, Time, 3 Mar. 2026 In 1963, Bob Baker and his partner Alton Wood found a run-down scenic shop in downtown Los Angeles to convert into what became a beloved theater where, for the next 5 decades, would surprise and delight guests with marionette shows. — Erica Olsen, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026 About 146 groups, made up of more than 1,400 participants, marched in the parade, with projects ranging from larger-than-life marionette dolls to squads of children in do-it-yourself costumes to mobile re-creations of LACMA’s most iconic art pieces. — Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for marionette
Recent Examples of Synonyms for marionette
  1. doll
  2. dolly
  3. poppet
  4. rag doll
  5. figurine
Noun
  • There’s no way the doll monsters at the pond were the whole point of the Lake of Tears, right?
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • The brand has seen its fair share of criticism in regards to doll diversity.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of doll
Noun
  • Before Brown invented the Steadicam, about the only way to create a smooth moving shot on a film was to use a dolly, a technology that had been around since the early days of filmmaking but required heavy track that could only be laid so far.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 July 2026
  • Tuesday, surveillance video shows an SUV pull up and two people enter the back door of Hushcha's loft with a dolly.
    — Jason Rantala, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Definition of dolly
Noun
  • The Teflon seal around a poppet, a thruster valve, expanded and started extruding out as the thruster headed up.
    — Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Between 1902 and 1904, she was granted eight patents related to rotary engines, including sleeve-valve innovations that were improvements over conventional poppet valves.
    — John Greathouse, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2021
Definition of poppet
Noun
  • The ballad was inspired by Cusack's character in the franchise, the cowgirl rag doll Jessie.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 June 2026
  • Alvarado might have gotten away with some hard contact when initiating the box out, but Wembanyama may have gotten away with a flagrant foul after wrapping both of his arms near Alvarado's neck and tossing him like a rag doll.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026
Definition of rag doll
Noun
  • Fresh off last year’s BTS collaboration with their TinyTan figurines in Happy Meals, McDonald’s is partnering with their other character affiliate, BT21.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The court also ordered the confiscation of gifts Kim had received, including a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace, a Tiffany brooch, a Dior handbag, a storage case for a gold turtle figurine and a painting by famous Korean artist Lee Ufan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
Definition of figurine

Browse Nearby Words

marines
marionette
marionettes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Marionette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/marionette. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on marionette

Nglish: Translation of marionette for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marionette

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All