mannequin

American  

[man-i-kin] / ˈmæn ɪ kɪn /

Or manikin

noun

1. a styled and three-dimensional representation of the human form used in window displays, as of clothing; dummy.

2. a wooden figure or model of the human figure used by tailors, dress designers, etc., for fitting or making clothes.

3. a person employed to wear clothing to be photographed or to be displayed before customers, buyers, etc.; a clothes model.

4. lay figure.

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mannequin British  

/ ˈmænɪkɪn /

noun

1. a woman who wears the clothes displayed at a fashion show; model

2. a life-size dummy of the human body used to fit or display clothes

3. arts another name for lay figure

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Etymology

Origin of mannequin

1560–70; < French < Dutch; see manikin

Explanation

A mannequin is a human-like figure that's usually used to display clothing in a store. A mannequin in a department store window can look quite normal, but a mannequin in someone's home can look downright creepy. Any store that sells clothes is likely to have at least a few mannequins, so shoppers can see what dresses and sweaters and hats look like on a (fake) person's body. Another kind of mannequin, more often called a "dressmaker's dummy" is helpful to someone who's sewing a skirt or piecing together a suit. Still other mannequins are used to practice emergency techniques, from CPR to water rescues by the Coast Guard.

Example Sentences

She spends much of her time practicing on mannequin heads in her childhood room.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

Through throwback posts, people have been traveling back to the year when dog and flower crown Snapchat filters, Instagram eyebrows, the mannequin challenge and the Chainsmokers were everywhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

"Her favorite colors, without a doubt, I would say are purple and burgundy," the 63-year-old pattern-maker and tailor told AFP amid her sewing machines and a mannequin on which she assembles the presidential wardrobe.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

Neo looks like a cross between a fencing instructor and a Lululemon mannequin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

“Mostly. I mean, things are always harder. Like the Hokey Pokey. When the song says ‘Put your right hand in,’ I kind of just stand there like a mannequin.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Related Words

• dummy