From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_216_cmarionettemar‧i‧o‧nette /ˌmæriəˈnet/ noun [countable] DGOa puppet whose arms and legs are moved by pulling strings
Examples from the Corpus
marionette• And then her legs gently folded and she subsided slowly on the step, ungainly as a marionette.• Perry, in a fishing jacket, moving like a marionette that swallowed a pneumatic drill.• Hanns Ebensten describes the puppets as' marionettes, on strings, about fourteen inches high.• Thus wired, many patients feel like a clumsy marionette.• Strong ministers were still their own men; the weaker degenerated into marionettes.• She reminds me of marionettes I have seen.• At the moment it's marionettes Louise: Marionettes?• Visitors were intrigued by the live specimens, marionettes and innovations such as the Mouse Alert and the mini bubble.Origin marionette (1600-1700) French marionnette, from the female name Marion, from Marie “Mary” 