doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a(1)

: a pretty but often empty-headed young woman

(2)

: woman

b

: darling, sweetheart

c

: an attractive person

dollish

ˈdä-lish 

ˈdȯ-

adjective

dollishly adverb

dollishness noun

Synonyms

• action figure
• dolly
• poppet [Midland]
• puppet

Examples of doll in a Sentence

My aunt collects porcelain dolls.

there was a row of dolls along the shelf in the bedroom

Recent Examples on the Web

This week's installment features weird dolls, presidential decrees and even a sports question! —Holly J. Morris, NPR, 20 June 2025

Jones argued that the manager knew about her disabilities before the June 2024 incident and her fear of dolls, the complaint read. —David Chiu, People.com, 18 June 2025

There is even a nod to sports culture, with dolls representing football and baseball players, and a park ranger placed among pine trees, alongside figures dressed as Native Americans. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025

This doll has become the latest trend When is the next full moon? —Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from Doll, nickname for Dorothy

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing doll

• Barbie doll
• bobblehead doll
• doll's house
• doll up
• rag doll

Rhymes for doll

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• drawl
• fall
• gall

Kids Definition

doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a

: a pretty young woman

b

: an attractive person