Doll

¹

[dol]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Dorothy.

doll

²

[dol]

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.

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Doll¹

First recorded in 1550–60; generic use of Doll

Word History and Origins

Origin of Doll¹

C16: probably from Doll, pet name for Dorothy

Example Sentences

France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control initially raised concerns about the dolls on Saturday.

Read more on BBC

“We obviously condemn the recent events surrounding the doll controversy,” Frederic Merlin, president of SGM, said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Nearby, a group of wooden "matryoshka" dolls, in traditional Russian dress with rosy cheeks, stood on one shelf, gleaming across from brightly painted Soviet tin cars.

Read more on Barron's

Described in the wall text as a “living matryoshka doll,” the collection of eight pieces shown on one model distills the V&R poetics: a powerful idea, a performance-oriented presentation, a sense of wonder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That weird Strawberry Shortcake doll that would burp its signature scent in your face when you squeezed its stomach.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• figurine 
• model 
• puppet