doll

¹ American  

[dol] / dɒl /

noun

1. a small figure representing a baby or other human being, especially for use as a child's toy.

2. a small figure representing a nonhuman character, for use as a toy.

   cartoon character dolls.

3. Slang.

   1. a pretty but expressionless or unintelligent woman.

   2. a girl or woman, especially one who is considered attractive.

   3. a boy or man who is considered attractive.

   4. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address, as to a child or romantic partner (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., especially by a male to a female).

4. Informal. a generous or helpful person.

   You're a doll for lending me your car.

5. Slang. a barbiturate in pill form.

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verb phrase

1. doll up

   1. to dress, groom, or style oneself in an elegant or ostentatiously fashionable manner.

      She got all dolled up for an evening at the opera.

   2. to make more attractive, as by decorating or embellishing.

      The street was dolled up with showy flowers and colorful banners.

Doll ² American  

[dol] / dɒl /

noun

1. a female given name, form of Dorothy.

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doll British  

/ dɒl /

noun

1. a small model or dummy of a human being, used as a toy

2. slang a pretty girl or woman of little intelligence: sometimes used as a term of address

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Other Word Forms

• doll-like adjective
• dollish adjective
• dollishly adverb
• dollishness noun

Etymology

Origin of doll

First recorded in 1550–60; generic use of Doll

Example Sentences

They likened the way images of the young women were changed to "a rag doll brought to life through the dark arts".

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

With a dazzling array of unstoppable female characters, Taylor Sheridan’s ‘1923’ is the show every adult American Girl doll fan should be watching.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

The K-pop-inspired products will ship in the spring, and Mattel expects them to boost doll sales.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

It went on to become the largest doll manufacturer in America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

I knew it was an applehead doll, but it reminded me of the shrunken head I’d seen in my exploring book.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• figurine
• model
• puppet