noun

ventriloquism

noun

The performance skill of speaking without visibly moving the lips, so the voice appears to come from somewhere else, such as a puppet.

"He learned ventriloquism as a teenager and performed with a wooden dummy."

How to Use Ventriloquism

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe trick of throwing your voice so it sounds like it's coming from a puppet or somewhere else in the room, without moving your lips.

Common pairings

practice ventriloquism a ventriloquism act

ventriloquisms plural

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He learned _____ as a teenager and performed with a wooden dummy.

Formed from ventriloquy plus the suffix -ism, ultimately from Latin roots meaning "to speak from the belly".

altruism Hinduism