baby doll

American

Also babydoll

noun

a doll, especially one resembling a human baby.
Also called baby doll nightgown,. Also called baby doll pajamas. Often baby dolls. a garment for women or girls consisting of a hip-length top of delicate fabric often decorated with ruffles, ribbons, or lace, with a matching panty, worn for sleeping.
a short dress styled to resemble this.

Usage

What else does baby doll mean? In the literal, a baby doll is just that—a toy baby doll. But it is also a term of endearment for a woman and a style of high-waisted women's dress and nightgown.

Etymology

Origin of baby doll

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

In the Netflix film, Swan demonstrates with calipers on a life-size, anatomically correct male baby doll in a coffee shop to the nervous titters of the participants.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

Then the punchline: "But I'm immortal now, baby doll."

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2025

I was like, "OK, baby doll tubes? Like that? It could be surface here, but how do we up it?"

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2024

Belo connected the actor with a midwife and gave her a weighted baby doll to hold while she did daily activities.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2024

She still gave me two dolls: Lilly, a Cabbage Patch doll; and a life-size baby doll I named Katie.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023