sequin
Americannoun
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sequins
plural
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a small shining disk or spangle used for ornamentation, as on clothing, accessories, or theatrical costumes.
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a former gold coin of Venice, introduced in 1284; ducat.
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a former gold coin of Malta, introduced c1535.
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a former gold coin of Turkey, introduced in 1478.
noun
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a small piece of shiny often coloured metal foil or plastic, usually round, used to decorate garments, etc
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Also called: zecchino. any of various gold coins that were formerly minted in Italy, Turkey, and Malta
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of sequin
First recorded in 1575–85; from French sequin, from Italian zecchino, equivalent to zecc(a) “mint” (from Arabic sikkah “die, coin”) + -ino -ine 2
Explanation
A sequin is a flat little bead that catches the light and makes evening gowns shimmer. One little sequin is pretty, but they like to stick together. There’d be no figure skating without sequins. Sequins were originally made out of tiny metal discs, but today they're commonly made from shiny circles of plastic. The original sequins explain the name, which stems from their resemblance to coins; sequin was the 17th century name of an Italian gold coin. Today's sequins are used to decorate clothes, shoes, handbags, and anything else that needs extra sparkles.
Vocabulary lists containing sequin
Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Night Diary
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Nine Stories
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Nicole Kidman showed up in a red sequin dress because she “wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used in art through the years.”
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Get your blond wigs, sequin dresses and cowboy boots ready.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Among the pieces that she had teased on social media were a sewing machine, a steamer, lamps, a “tiny side table,” a sequin romper, and a Bergdorf Goodman jacket.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025
Moore understood the assignment for the Met Gala, coming as a literal men's tie in a sculptural black and white striped sequin gown from Thom Browne.
From BBC ● May 5, 2025
My first ball gown was white net, with pale gray swan feathers scattered over it, each one kept in place with a sequin.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
She favored figure-hugging dresses, tops and sets, many of which were covered in sequins or embellished with rhinestones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Faux jewels, sequins and shiny baubles were Parton’s signature once she became a household name.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
They arrived in sequins and feather boas; or sometimes in waistcoats and ties.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
Hollywood was clad in black and glittering sequins on Monday to host the Los Angeles premiere of Michael Jackson's biopic, drawing fans of the King of Pop to the iconic California boulevard.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
Her sequins flash in the spotlight like thousands of little mirrors.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
