action figure

American  

noun

• action figures
  plural

1. a toy figure with jointed, movable limbs, representing a character in a cartoon, movie, etc., or a real person or animal, often one known for exciting action or extraordinary powers.

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action figure British  

noun

1. a small figure of a character from a film, television programme, comic book etc, designed as a toy and often collected by enthusiasts

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• action figures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of action figure

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

action figure

New toy: Buzz Lightyear, an action figure convinced he’s a real space hero.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

But he's concerned action figure commissions could soon dry up, as well as the public perception of his work, from thousands of AI images mimicking his passion.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025

A smattering of Ace Ventura and a lot of those ’80s action figure guys.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

Under the alter ego, she shrinks to action figure size and makes funny videos.

From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2023

And with a flourish, I pulled his favorite Rescue Heroes action figure out of his bag.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick