a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
"The children watched in awe as the skilled puppeteer manipulated the colorful marionette to dance on stage."
a doll with a hollow head of a person or animal and a cloth body; intended to fit over the hand and be manipulated with the fingers
"The children gathered around to watch the street performer skillfully manipulate the colorful puppet that had a hollow wooden head and a soft cloth body."
Any small model of a person or animal able to be moved by strings or rods, or in the form of a glove.
"The children gathered around to watch the puppet show featuring a cheerful bear and a wise old owl."
In plain English: A puppet is an object that you control with your hands to make it move and act out stories on stage.
"The little girl played with her favorite stuffed puppet on the floor."
Usage: The term often extends metaphorically to describe a person controlled by another, but avoid using it casually when referring to actual toys unless emphasizing their mechanical nature. In formal contexts regarding political influence, "puppet" carries a strongly negative connotation implying lack of autonomy.
The word "puppet" comes from Old French poupette, a diminutive of poupée meaning doll or girl. It entered English around 1531 to describe small dolls and later evolved by the mid-1600s to refer specifically to figures controlled by strings inside them.