mannequin

noun

man·​ne·​quin ˈma-ni-kən 

1

: an artist's, tailor's, or dressmaker's lay figure

also : a form representing the human figure used especially for displaying clothes

2

: one employed to model clothing

Synonyms

• dummy
• figure
• form
• manikin
• mannikin

Examples of mannequin in a Sentence

the mannequin over there looks so real

mannequins striding down the catwalk in the designer's spring collection

Recent Examples on the Web

The institute had previously rated two of the models for nighttime crash prevention using pedestrian mannequins that wore dark clothing. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 9 Jan. 2025

Between the lines: O'Connell is known for whimsy — cue his pandemic-era dining mannequins or ballet classes for staff coordination. —Anna Spiegel, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

In 1979, a bomb was thrown from a moving car into the London building where the designer had a showroom, which was damaged along with the mannequins in her window display. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 14 Feb. 2025

At that time, models were little more than glorified mannequins, rarely named or acknowledged. —airmail.news, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Dutch mannekijn little man — more at manikin

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mannequin

• manikin

Kids Definition

mannequin

noun

man·​ne·​quin ˈman-i-kən 

1

: an artist's, tailor's, or dressmaker's jointed figure of the human body

2

: a form representing the human figure used especially for displaying clothes

3

: a person employed to model clothing